The Insider
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Movie Reviews of The Insider
Movie Review: Just Great Film-making......Period
Summary: 5 Stars
Not always, but usually a Michael Mann-directed film means good things for movie buffs, and this is no exception.
Tremendous acting highlights this movie about a behind-the-scenes look at a "60 Minutes" story of a man who blows the whistle on a tobacco company. Al Pacino, as the TV show producer "Lowell Bergman," Russell Crowe as the whistle-blower and tobacco scientist "Dr. Jeffrey Wiegand," and Christopher Plummer as "Mike Wallace" all are riveting in their performances. They are intense characters, as are many of the supporting characters in this involving film.
There is little action in here but a ton of tension in the first hour of this long (158 min.) film. The story held my interest even when the tension left, thanks to the acting, the great cinematography, involving music score....well, just about everything. It's simply a well-done movie, similar to Mann's "Heat," except without the violence.
The only negative was the obvious Liberal bias, but that's not surprising being it's about "60 Minutes." I wasn't surprised when Ken Starr got a cheap shot, for example. This film bias could have been a lot more blatant so I'm not complaining. Obviously, they went a overboard in their stand against the tobacco industry, repeating the same damaging scenes over and over. However, I appreciated they didn't shrink from pointing out how the network was covering its own behind even though it was hurting its most successful program.
Photographer Dante Spinelli did an incredible job making this look fantastic despite the fact that there was no great scenery or exotic sets. As mentioned, this is just great film-making
Movie Review: THE INSIDER ILLUSTRATES HOW 1 PERSON CAN STILL MAKE A HUGE POSITIVE DIFFERENCE
Summary: 5 Stars
A TRUE STORY THAT'S STILL TOUCHING LIVES TODAY & FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE TOO
The Insider tells the true story of how Jeffrey Wigand [played by Russell Crowe] told the world what the major tobacco companies knew and concealed about the dangers posed to consumers by their cigarettes. The Insider is presented with tangible class and with an appropriately heavy docudrama feel. In my opinion, "The Insider" is director Michael Mann's best film to date and was nominated for seven Academy awards. Excellent acting by Pacino, Crowe and Plummer.
YES - THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY FOR BEING A WHISTLEBLOWER & IT COMES IN MANY THANKLESS FORMS!!!!!
The film's setting is saturated with an eerie and believable atmosphere of paranoia. The sinking feeling that the unseen enemy [the tobacco company] will be coming from somewhere seems to be both infectious and believable throughout the film. The price Wigand pays for his integrity is dear and continues to this day. His personal loss rivals the tobacco company's but unlike them he consciously decided to do the "right thing" regardless of that cost. Amplifying the significance of Wigand's whistle blowing decision, where in effect 1 man [Jeffrey Wigand] does stand up completely alone against the threats of big tobacco, CBS "Corporate" caves in to the tobacco company's lawsuit threats. After taping the interview CBS corporate hits the chicken switch over airing Mike Wallace's interview with Wigands much as the tobacco company had hoped the wistleblower would have. This subplot through analogy clearly demonstrates the power of one ordinary man against a powerful corrupt system and clearly illustrates how 1 person can still make a big difference. Jeffrey Wigand standing up to be counted did make a difference in this case. A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
YES - -1 PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: A BIG DIFFERENCE HERE!
On a smaller scale the filmakers' effort here is another example of how 1 man can make a difference though the risk is far smaller. Interestingly, though the film was nominated for 7 academy awards it came away with none. I guess Whistleblowing for a just cause will still have to be its own reward.
* -- * ABRIDGED LIST OF THE CAST * -- *
Al Pacino - Lowell Bergman
Russell Crowe - Jeffrey Wigand
Christopher Plummer - Mike Wallace
Diane Venora - Liane Wigand
Philip Baker Hall - Don Hewitt
Lindsay Crouse - Sharon Tiller
Debi Mazar - Debbie De Luca
Stephen Tobolowsky - Eric Kluster
Colm Feore - Richard Scruggs
Bruce McGill - Ron Motley
Rip Torn - John Scanlon
Lynne Thigpen - Mrs. Williams
Nestor Serrano - FBI Agent Robertson
Pete Hamill - N.Y. Times Reporter
Michael Moore - Michael Moore
* -- * ABRIDGED BUT EXTENSIVE LIST OF [MUCH AWARDED] PRODUCTION CREW * -- *
Michael Mann - Director / Producer / Screenwriter
Pieter Jan Brugge - Producer
Marie Brenner - Short Story Author
Eric Roth - Screenwriter
Dante Spinotti - Cinematographer
Pieter Bourke - Composer (Music Score)
Lisa Gerrard - Composer (Music Score)
Graeme Revell - Composer (Music Score)
William C. Goldenberg - Editor
David Rosenbloom - Editor
Paul Rubell - Editor
Brian Morris - Production Designer
Avi Avivi - Art Director
John Kasarda - Art Director
Marjorie Stone McShirley - Supervising Art Director
James Tocci - Art Director
Michael Waxman - Co-producer / First Assistant Director
Gusmano Cesaretti - Associate Producer
Kathleen M. Shea - Associate Producer
Lynn Christopher - Set Designer
Nancy Haigh - Set Designer
Kelly Hannafin - Set Designer
Beth Kushnick - Set Designer
Chris Spellman - Set Designer
Darrell L. Wight - Set Designer
Anna Sheppard - Costume Designer
Doug Hemphill - Sound/Sound Designer
Andy Nelson - Sound/Sound Designer
Lee Orloff - Sound/Sound Designer
Bonnie Timmerman - Casting
Gregg Baxter - Sound Editor
Gregory King - Sound Editor
* -- * ABRIDGED LIST OF MAJOR AWARDS & NOMINATIONS * -- *
Best Actor (nom) Russell Crowe 1999 Academy
Best Adapted Screenplay (nom) Eric Roth 1999 Academy
Best Adapted Screenplay (nom) Michael Mann 1999 Academy
Best Cinematography (nom) Dante Spinotti 1999 Academy
Best Director (nom) Michael Mann 1999 Academy
Best Editing (nom) David Rosenbloom 1999 Academy
Best Editing (nom) William C. Goldenberg 1999 Academy
Best Editing (nom) Paul Rubell 1999 Academy
Best Picture (nom) 1999 Academy
Best Sound (nom) Doug Hemphill 1999 Academy
Best Sound (nom) Lee Orloff 1999 Academy
Best Sound (nom) Andy Nelson 1999 Academy
Best Cinematography (nom) Dante Spinotti 1999 American Society of Cinematographers
Best Actor (nom) Russell Crowe 1999 British Academy Awards
Best Actor (win) Russell Crowe 1999 Broadcast Film Critics Association
Best Director- Feature Film (nom) Michael Mann 1999 Directors Guild of America
Best Actor (Drama) (nom) Russell Crowe 1999 Golden Globe
Best Director (nom) Michael Mann 1999 Golden Globe
Best Film (Drama) (nom) 1999 Golden Globe
Best Original Score (nom) Lisa Gerrard 1999 Golden Globe
Best Original Score (nom) Pieter Bourke 1999 Golden Globe
Best Screenplay (nom) Eric Roth 1999 Golden Globe
Best Screenplay (nom) Michael Mann 1999 Golden Globe
ABOUT THE DVD :
Excellent sound and video but very short of features. 7 minute featurette is very inadequate for this type of film!!!
MY TAKE ON "THE INSIDER" - -
Terrific film that sadly has not attracted as much attention from moviegoers as it deserves. Pacino, Crowe and Plummer really do justice to this excellent example of a Michael Mann film.
Movie Review: The Insider
Summary: 4 Stars
Excellent mivie (DVD) it shows just how low big tobacco goes. They would do anything to feed their greed.Movie Review: Life or Death
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Insider" is one of the most incendiary movies of the 90's. The movie is based on a magazine article, and for the most part the movie follows the article very accurately. The acting is incredible, except for the fact that Pacino may have wanted to tone down his performance as Bergman. The story itself is really a heroic story. Both Wigand and Bergman desparately want to do the right thing, but are constantly foiled by corporate greed. The companies in the movie (Brown & Williamson and CBS) also want to do the right thing but they do it under the purview of corporate responsibility. However, we should not forget what this movie is really about. It is about how the cigarette industry has manufactured a product that has lead to the death of millions of Americans. What Wigand revealed was that the tobacco companies manipulated their product with a known carcinogen. Director Michael Mann directs this movie with the serious intensity that it is due. One of the scenes that sticks out in my mind is where Wigand is being driven to his deposition in Mississippi. On one side of the motorcade is a graveyard, obviously representing death, and on the other side is the sea arguably representing life. Thus, we should know that this movie is really about life and death, and the decisions that people make that influence the lives of millions of Americans. Movie Review: Awesome movie that will make you keep watching
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great movie with a star cast. Russell Crowe does a great job playing the victim of a the tobacco industry that is trying to expose their secrets. The makeup cast does a great job of showing how this trama affects him, as he appears to age a lot during the scandal. Al Pacino is the producer for an acclaimed tv show that is trying to report this scandal. The movie is very interesting and while long, it is so intriguing that you just want to keep watching it. One of my friends that did not even like it to much kept watching it because there was just enough in the story to make him want to keep watching to see what happens. All in all this was a great movie with great acting.