The Insider
"An edge-of-your-seat thriller!" - Newsweek
The Insider recounts the chain of events that pitted an ordinary man against the tobacco industry, and dragged two people into the fight of their lives.
Academy Award Winner Al Pacino (Any Given Sunday, The Devil's Advocate) gives a powerful performance as veteran 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, and Russell Crowe (L.A. Confidential, Mystery, Alaska) co-stars as the ultimate insider, former tobacco executive Dr. Jeffery Wigand. When Wigand is fired by his employer -- one of the largest tobacco companies in America -- he agrees to become a paid consultant for a story Bergman is working on regarding alleged unethical practices within the tobacco industry. But what begins as a temporary alliance leads to a lengthy battle for both men to save their reputations, and much, much more.
As they soon find out, Corporate America will use all legal means at their disposal to save a billion-dollar-a-year habit. And as the corporate giants soon find out, Bergman and Wigand are honorable men, driven to smoke out the evidence.
Also starring Christopher Plummer (Malcolm X) as anchor Mike Wallace and Gina Gershon (Face/Off), The Insider will chill you with its cold, hard edge -- and thrill you with its unbelievable twists and turns.
Member Reviews
Entertaining and Astonishing - easyHwolf
Even though this movie is a little older, it is still quite entertaining and thought provoking. We found it horrible what this man was put through simply because he wanted to warn the public about cigarettes.
After the movie, we got online and watched the original 60 Minutes show with Dr. Wigand.
If you enjoyed this movie, you might enjoy, Waiting for Superman, Food Inc, Zeitgeist.A riveting, controversial true story handled with tangible class and a documentary feel - moviemonger
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. While Al Pacino is listed as being the star, it is Russell Crowe who steals the film. Crowe, who usually portrays conflicted, young heroes, commands the attention with energy, even at times when he seem without it. Crowe's performance is outstanding--we connect with him on an emotional basis. Pacino is at the top of his game here. His anger and his desperation is palpable. It is his performance that supports the final hour of the film. Admittedly, this is a surprisingly film from Michael Mann, who occasionally resorts to style-over-substance. Thankfully, his script is more than adequate, with some sharp dialogue and great characterizations. Pacino's performance is adequate enough to uphold our interest. This movie documents the entire events of this true-life historical case. Interesting story...great actors...well-developed characters...unique style...do not an overall great film make.Gripping All The Way Through - revsdd
Al Pacino is brilliant as Lowell Bergman, the 60 Minutes producer who struggles to convince former tobacco executive Jeffrey Wigand (equally brilliantly played by Russell Crowe) to grant an interview in the face of the industry's attempts to silence him, and then has to fight CBS management to put the interview on the air. This is just a marvelous film.
From the beginning scenes of the setting up of an interview between Mike Wallace (played by Christopher Plummer, who does a valiant job in a difficult role, playing someone as well known as Wallace) and an Arab sheik involved with the Hezbollah movement we get a sense of the point to come: that dealing with Middle East terrorists is a lot safer than taking on the tobacco industry! We're also hit right off the top by the irony underlying everything. Wigand, who worked as a senior executive for a tobacco company, is a health care specialist with a seriously asthmatic daughter.
The first part of the movie plays like a spy thriller, as it focuses on the threats made against Wigand and family to silence him, and the pressure this puts on his family life as we literally see the man begin to crumble under the pressure. The focus of the second half shifts to Bergman's desperate attempts to get Wigand's interview broadcast after everything he has risked to blow the whistle. The battle between Bergman and CBS, also under pressure from the industry not to air the story, and vulnerable due to the network's impending sale, is well portrayed.
This movie is absolutely worth the watching. It is vaguely ominous as we're confronted by the power not just of the tobacco industry, but of big business in general.
Member Reviews
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Entertaining and Astonishing - easyHwolf
Even though this movie is a little older, it is still quite entertaining and thought provoking. We found it horrible what this man was put through simply because he wanted to warn the public about cigarettes.
After the movie, we got online and watched ...A riveting, controversial true story handled with tangible class and a documentary feel - moviemonger
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. While Al Pacino is listed ...Gripping All The Way Through - revsdd
Al Pacino is brilliant as Lowell Bergman, the 60 Minutes producer who struggles to convince former tobacco executive Jeffrey Wigand (equally brilliantly played by Russell Crowe) to grant an interview in the face of the industry's attempts to silence him, and ...