Plot
The Insider tells the true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the seven major tobacco companies knew (and concealed) about the dangers of their product. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm, Brown and Williamson. Not long after he was fired by Brown and Williamson, Wigand came into contact with Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Wallace (played here by Christopher Plummer). Bergman arranged for Wigand to be interviewed by Wallace for a 60 Minutes expose on the cigarette industry, though Wigand was still bound by a confidentiality agreement not to discuss his employment with the company. Despite Wigand's willingness to talk, CBS pulled his interview from at the last minute after Brown and Williamson threatened a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. The staff of 60 Minutes and CBS News were soon embroiled in an internal struggle over the killing of the story, and Wigand found himself the subject of lawsuits and a smear campaign, without his full story reaching the public. The Insider was directed by Michael Mann and also features Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Debi Mazar, Colm Feore, and Rip Torn. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
A riveting, controversial true story handled with tangible class and a documentary feel by director Michael Mann, this real-life drama was nominated for seven Academy awards. Juggling such monolithic issues as corporate responsibility, journalistic ethics, one's moral duty to the truth, and the politics of class, the film is a stew of sober intelligence and one of the best whistleblower dramas ever made. Al Pacino certainly calls upon some of his acting standards as the crusading news producer Lowell Bergman. But he also displays a new prickliness, a smug self-righteousness that balances out his heroism. Most astonishingly, in a time when stars want to portray characters of unmitigated courage, he doesn't back down from the narrative's assertion that he is crassly manipulative. That's a thoroughly unlikable quality flowing from the character's growing cynicism and self-interest, and while it may not be unrealistic, it is extraordinary to find that kind of veracity in a major, mainstream motion picture. Balancing him is Russell Crowe as the titular hero, pulling off a seemingly Robert De Niro-inspired physical, vocal, and behavioral transformation that fans of Crowe's award-winning turn in Gladiator (2000) will have to see to believe. Christopher Plummer earns high marks as Mike Wallace, but the film's greatest asset isn't its fine, notable performances. The Insider (1999), despite press reports attacking the film for its factual lapses, is actually about something important, providing a four-course meal of cinematic food for thought. Arguably Mann's best film to date, The Insider is worth its weight in gold, especially in an era of visceral moviemaking that encourages an audience to check its collective brain at the ticket counter. ~ Karl Williams, RoviCast
- Al Pacino - Lowell Bergman
- Russell Crowe - Jeffrey Wigand
- Christopher Plummer - Mike Wallace
- Diane Venora - Liane Wigand
- Philip Baker Hall - Don Hewitt
Credit
Avi Avivi - Art Director, John Kasarda - Art Director, James Tocci - Art Director, Marjorie Stone McShirley - Supervising Art Director, Gusmano Cesaretti - Associate Producer, Kathleen M. Shea - Associate Producer, Bonnie Timmermann - Casting, Michael Waxman - Co-producer, Anna Sheppard - Costume Designer, Michael Waxman - First Assistant Director, Michael Mann - Director, David Rosenbloom - Editor, Paul Rubell - Editor, William C. Goldenberg - Editor, Graeme Revell - Composer (Music Score), Lisa Gerrard - Composer (Music Score), Pieter Bourke - Composer (Music Score), Brian Morris - Production Designer, Dante Spinotti - Cinematographer, Pieter Jan Brugge - Producer, Michael Mann - Producer, Lynn Christopher - Set Designer, Nancy Haigh - Set Designer, Beth Kushnick - Set Designer, Darrell L. Wight - Set Designer, Chris Spellman - Set Designer, Kelly Hannafin - Set Designer, Lee Orloff - Sound/Sound Designer, Andy Nelson - Sound/Sound Designer, Doug Hemphill - Sound/Sound Designer, Gregg Baxter - Sound Editor, Gregory King - Sound Editor, Michael Mann - Screenwriter, Eric Roth - Screenwriter, Marie Brenner - Short Story Author| The Inside Story (2002 Film), The Inside Story (1948 Film) | |
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