The movie is loosely based on a true event covered by Frontline about a tobacco scientist titled " The Man who knew too much". The trauma that a man undergoes to reveal a truth which he was bound to keep through a confidentiality agreement is the central plot. In his quest to reveal to the world about the tricks the tobacco giants are employing to increase the sales of cigarettes , he is haunted and tormented to the extent of even losing his family for a just cause he believed in . It shows how big and powerful corporates work hard to keep things a secret.It's a movie on the triumph of the human spirit, and it's upon us to keep our human values and human spirits high. Stellar performances by Al Pacino and Russell Crowe makes you forget you are watching a movie. Great stuff from a gutsy director. Micheal Mann, you did it again.