The title "You Don't Know Jack" (HBO, 9 tonight) already gives you a hint that this might be a different kind of biopic.

After all, this is the story of Jack Kevorkian, the face of assisted suicide in this country, which wouldn't seem a subject begging for a sassy moniker.

But it works. The first hour of "You Don't Know Jack" is a lively, funny look at a man that lots of people have heard of, even seen, yet know little about. As played by Al Pacino, he is a hoot, a character, a quirky, stubborn man who's certain he's on the right path because it just makes sense to him.

The second hour, though, gets darker.