Ordinary people under extraordinary pressure, Mike. What the hell do you expect? Grace and consistency?

"maybe things have changed."
"what's changed?"
"you mean since this morning?"
"no, i mean since whenever."

corporate interests have never (and will never) not come at the expense of our own, and here mann richly dramatizes the crushing pressures, lasting damages and sheer difficulty inherent to resisting them. are we running out of heroes or are they being systematically broken down? is there even anything left for them to save?

"No, you fucked you. Don't invert stuff." When we realized we'd corporatized everything. Analog's last stand.

80

Michael Mann, along with master DP Dante Spinotti, is at the top of his game as an image-maker here. Blooming clouds, with the color being a sharp tint of blue, or a driving range peppered with spots of golf balls. It's also what he emphasizes in even the most traditional moments - like the scene where the camera lingers on a freighter in a river while Jeffery Wigand is contemplating his current situation. Even at over two and a half hours, this epic of corporate malaise and journalistic integrity (or lack thereof) is tightly-wound, and completely riveting. An all-star cast giving their best while Mann finds a poetic danger in once again pushing against the systems that confine us. Nowadays, this type of movie is made by a hack nobody and forgotten as soon as the Academy Awards ceremony is over, but this is quality work, front to back.

al pacino is my husband... I would do anything for him... my taurus king... the love of my life

“Mike Wallace: Who are these people?


Lowell Bergman: Ordinary people under extraordinary pressure, Mike. What the hell do you expect? Grace and consistency?”

The story of a man who only wanted to report accurate news

corporations as infections.

Michael Mann was able to better communicate the importance of a free press than Aaron Sorkin in like 1/10th the time. 

Could be argued this is his best film. Someone please beg him to shoot 35mm again.

I just watch the scenes with al Pacino defending himself as a journalist. He’s so fucken good.

Normally I think a lot of these types of movies see themselves as more important than they are but Mann exceeded my expectations by MILES

Get on the fucking phone

This is definitely Michael Mann’s best film and deserves the same reputation as Heat and then some. top 10 paranoia thriller.

Man Mann used to make good movies. This movie ruled! While watching it I wanted to scream how everything was working for it.
Also big business and the media is scarier than any horror villain out there. And this movie felt like a horror movie at times, at least to me.
If I had to nitpick I would say that Crow's family was a bit underdeveloped, especially the wife character. She just got on my nerves. It's not the actressess fault. I just think she was poorly written.
Maybe there's a scene here and there that is overdone, but other than that. This movie is amazing. It's probably more relevant now than it was then. Especially the way it explores the media and it's impact on a person and our society as a whole.
A must watch!

Badass cinematography, staging and acting.

Interestingly, despite being a 150 minute legal-ish drama, I think this might be Mann in his most mainstream mode that I've seen so far. Sure Heat has the thrills and vibes, but here Mann makes something ordinary. Not that that is bad, it might even be a compliment as after all it's a movie about ordinary people instead of detectives, thieves, hitmen or mohicans. It makes sense to be a bit more subdued here and take a more story focused approach, while still having some of that Mann atmosphere, particularily in the first half with the threats towards Wigand.

Though unfortunately the vibes that the likes of Heat and Miami Vice shine in are largely left out here, but I suppose that makes sense because of the true subject matter and goes back to the more mainstream/ordinary angle.

This was by far the quickest 2 1/2 hours I’ve spent watching a movie. Mann’s engrossing direction and pacing, along with some excellent performances from Pacino and Crowe, who definitely should have won the Best Actor Oscar over Spacey, elevate this beyond just a great thriller but a great movie. Highly recommend.

if i ever received an email that said “we will kill you. we will kill all of you. shut the fuck up.” i would simply send back a funny meme

Watching this was incredibly strange. The movie itself is very tense with what feels like high stakes, but given recent history it's difficult to feel like the big "got 'em" of lying to Congress doesn't hit as hard now as it probably did on release.