I have
decided to go on a Russell Crowe binge.
I already have reviewed four of his movies, and even from that small
sample it should be obvious to anyone that he has a breadth of range that is truly
extraordinary. Now, I plan to revisit
four more of his characters in rapid succession. His best movie (so far) is Gladiator.
The one I have least appreciated is called something like Romper Stomper, which I will happily
overlook. As of now, the three I am planning
to watch, or already have watched, are The
Insider, A Beautiful Mind, and Master
and Commander.
So, here
goes:
The Insider clearly is Al Pacino’s movie. Crowe is very good as a conflicted corporate
dweeb, beset by a hyperactive conscious on the one hand, and a thoroughly unlikeable
wife on the other. The plot, which is a
good one, revolves around the TV show 60
Minutes and its conflicted thinking about releasing information concerning
the addictive and colossally unhealthy nature of cigarettes. It (the plot) apparently has some basis in
fact. Christopher Plummer does an
excellent job of portraying Mike Wallace.
Pacino is marvelous as a driven, obnoxious, principled associate
producer; he carries the movie. Even the
weasels playing big tobacco execs are fine.
Watch this
movie – and then go out and sell all your tobacco stock. B
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