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To me, this movie is perfection.

Nice effects though.

How sad is this?

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Al Pacino has done it again, not only fully inhabiting a real-life character we knew from TV reports but also investing his portrayal with late-life bravado, amusing eccentricity and stubbornness, and a caring and sensitivity towards the sick that must be present in order to understand the man once dubbed by the media as "Doctor Death," Jack Kevorkian. In the early 1990s, Kevorkian, a retired pathologist born to Armenian immigrant parents and situated in Michigan, assists in the suicide of a woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a woman who was lucid long enough to express her wish to die with dignity. A proponent on the ethics of euthanasia, the doctor--with the help of his housemate, his loyal sister, his lawyer (whom his sister discovered in a TV commercial) and a right-to-die advocate--would go on to fight endless battles against the legal system in order to keep assisting terminally-ill patients in their right to die, despite being surrounded himself by the deaths of colleagues and family. Although lengthy, this HBO presentation is masterfully written by Adam Mazer, who based his teleplay in part on Neal Nicol and Harry Wylie's book, "Between the Dying and the Dead", and beautifully directed by Barry Levinson, who shows a keen eye for small details, but isn't fussy about them (he doesn't linger over his points, which is in keeping with the personality of his story's champion). Terrific supporting performances by John Goodman, Brenda Vaccaro, Danny Huston and Susan Sarandon compliment Pacino's sterling work, while the film manages to be a testament to the human heart as well as an evocative document of our times.

A look at the life and work of doctor-assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian. You Don't Know Jack is a great HBO Film that showcases the life of Jack Kevorkian also known as Doctor Death who allows his dying individuals the right to determine how their lives will end. Some people accused him as a murderer others as a savior and from what i see in this film i think he is a savior he believes that people who are very sick and die day by day deserve a shot like this so he somehow helps them kill themselves he is not a god he is just doing his job in his own way and Al Pacino's performance is fantastic, charismatic and very thrilling the same goes for John Goodman and Danny Huston. It's not one of his best movies ever but it's definitely very strong and has a very powerful performance by Pacino although in my opinion Danny Collins was way better it was more optimistic and even more fun and thrilling but still a very good film 9/10

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK is just a remake of half the celebrity biopix since THE JOLSON STORY. An admirable man courageously lives his dream, but his intentness of purpose comes with the disadvantage of personal isolation, a failure to achieve intimacy. This movie includes no meaningful focus on why assisted suicide is a controversial topic. Everyone in favor of it is good, good, good. Everyone against it is bad, bad, bad. There are only two points where admiration of Kevorkian might falter. One is when, despite not being qualified, he tries to defend himself in court. At that point, your admiration swings over to Pacino for putting in such a performance as the frustrated old man, his virtue of self-confidence and self-reliance revealing itself as a classical tragic flaw. The second flaw we see in Kevorkian is that he likes to paint grotesque, macabre paintings. What does that say about his attitude toward bringing death to his patients? You'd think it raises a question about his inner motivations, but not a single character makes the connection. Some don't like the paintings, one does like the paintings and in that way vindicates them to the audience, and the subject is dropped. All in all, aside from the spotlight on Pacino, the movie has nothing to offer but comfortable reassurance for those who believe in assisted suicide and closed-minded scorn for those who see another side to the issue as well.

Pacino, Goodman, Huston, Sarandon, all these old farts are at the top of their game even now. The storyline is strong, in fact, its a true story, but the important thing is how Pacino carried it on his shoulders. Lately he seems to have been written off as a 'has-been' but I think he proves it wrong in this one. Danny Huston, as always a great actor, is wearing a wig throughout and seems to make it a part of his body without any problems. Again, like Pacino, he is deep into the storyline with his supporting act and boy is he a professional. All in all, I was moved, excited, entertained, laughed, cried, etc, everything a good movie should have. Don't miss this one.