The Insider

Starring: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Gina Gershon, Colm Feore, Rip Torn
Directed by: Michael Mann
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A former scientist (Russell Crowe) working for cigarette companies decides to become a whistle-blower, calling out his company and others for lying about the addictive ingredients purposely put into cigarettes. The producer (Al Pacino) of CBS' 60 Minutes gets him to tell his story, but when Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) and the CBS executives fear a lawsuit, they decide not to show the story, which would greatly endanger the life of the whistle-blower and his family.

Review:

Tim:
This is a truly fascinating movie. I expected to see a shocking revelation of a tobacco company whistle-blower and the efforts taken to stop his testimony. I was not prepared for a bold, truthful (although perhaps slightly embellished) look at CBS news and the battle it fought over the decision to air the controversial story. This became the most interesting part of the film.

I've heard tons of praise for Russell Crowe and Christopher Plummer (who is fantastic as Mike Wallace). I have not heard nearly enough acclaim for Al Pacino. He is overlooked next to two remarkable performance. In many ways, he is the most important part of the film. His performance holds everything together. Pacino is truly brilliant in the film, adding another impressive role to his already stellar career. He stands out in my mind as the best part of this movie, despite the awards others may have received.

Although The Insider was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, it wasn't able to pick up any wins. That doesn't matter, however, because the film won many other awards and earned much deserved critical praise. The movie is powerful and interesting- we are shown a behind-the-scenes look at a hugely important event in American history that isn't as glamorous or notable as others. This is a very, very good movie, and I highly enjoyed it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Erin Brockovich, A Civil Action, Insomnia, A Beautiful Mind