Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
The Insider (1999): Directed by Michael Mann
Based on a true story, The Insider is a topical film about a man who paid a heavy price for the welfare of people across the world. Russell Crowe (who put on 40 pounds for the role) plays Jeffrey Wigand, a scientist who is released from his cushy job at a Big Tobacco company. He's offered a fair severance package in exchange for his vow of silence about company protocol, namely chemicals thrown into the mix to make cigarettes an addictive drug. Jeffrey has every intention of keeping his word until after he meets 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino). Due to paranoia on Wigand's part, and inadvertent threats from his former employer, he agrees to go public about what he knows (which, though is for the public good, is illegal because of his sworn secrecy). The movie chronicles the legal troubles Wigand goes through, which will eventually lead to his personal and somewhat emotional demise.
Leonard Maltin calls The Insider "fine adult entertainment," which is the best way I could describe it. This isn't your teenager's rated R movie, such as Scarface or Goodfellas. The Insider is a mature, thinking man's movie, but this doesn't mean it still doesn't entertain. Pacino gives his best performance in years as producer Lowell Bergman, who walks the fine line between fighting for Jeffrey - whose world is falling apart - and defying corporate CBS pencil-pushers who refuse to air Jeffrey's interview after all but coaxing it from him. And the great Christopher Plummer plays media legend Mike Wallace, who also has a crisis of conscience when forced to decide if his job or his reputation are more important. Diane Venora rounds out the cast beautifully as Wigand's wife, who eventually makes her own choices that threaten Wigand and his relationship with his two daughters.
The great thing about The Insider is that our "hero," for lack of a better term, is never painted as a hero or a martyr: the film lets you decide for yourself, and it does so without beating you over the head with its message one way or the other. The plight of Jeffrey Wigand is a story that needed to be told, if only as a showcase the lies and half-truths Big Tobacco hides behind while it's clients wither off and die, but not before spending fortunes to do so. The movie is longish but never boring, and will challenge anyone willing to lay down 2 1/2 hours to invest in the story. Obviously, some parts are fictionalized to make for better cinema, so this isn't a blow-by-blow telling of how Big Tobacco became synonymous with deception and profit. No matter. Mann outdoes himself without any of his trademark flashiness (this is the guy who created the TV show, and later the movie, Miama Vice) or pulling any punches. To quote Mr. Maltin once again, this really is just good, solid entertainment for adults. Do yourself a favor and get inside of The Insider. You won't be disappointed.
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #40: The Insider
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:13 am
not a big Gay guy
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:52 pm Posts: 8552
There isn't a single less-than-excellent moment in this film.
_________________ i was dreaming through the howzlife yawning car black when she told me "mad and meaningless as ever" and a song came on my radio like a cemetery rhyme for a million crying corpses in their tragedy of respectable existence
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #40: The Insider
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:33 am
Supersonic
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:59 pm Posts: 14656
OMG! a movie i actually know and like
i fucking love and am really inspired by this flick..for me, it's not so much the "cigarettes are bad for you" aspect, as the capitulating of the corporate media to big businesses...lowell bergman is truly a hero for being a lone voice of virtue and integrity in what i know firsthand to be a frightened media controlled by corporations..
i love crowe in this; this was the first flick i saw him in and i didn't know who he was, but he made jeffrey a really interesting, unique character
Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #40: The Insider
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:17 am
Yeah Yeah Yeah
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:48 pm Posts: 4320 Location: Philadelphia, PA
It's so strange that I almost never look in this forum and now I've posted three times today. Frank that was a really nice write-up.
Michael Mann is my favorite director who is still active. He is a true auteur, exerting control over every aspect of his films from music to costume design. There are many things about him that appeal to me, but perhaps the one that first got my notice is that all of his films, and even his television work deal with extraodinary individuals put in cutting-edge situations. The protagonists of his films have skills and perceptions well beyond the ordinary. They are placed in circumstances that test them to their limits, yet they are never portrayed as superhuman or even particularly heroic. There is also a large swath of the romantic that runs through his filmaking whether it be the connections between friends, between family members or between lovers. Nothing is ever sentimentalized or made to seem cheap. The emotions of these larger-than-life individuals are just as large as their gifts. It is a unique vision.
"The Insider" is, in it's own way a masterpiece. The visual control that Mann exerts over every scene is stunning. A Mann film is instantly recognizable. And "The Insider" is no exception. The subtle shifts of color and lighting in each scene change our own perceptions of what is happening. And the changes in the speed of the camera movements and timing of the editing to control the flow of a scene are characteristic of Mann. Nothing is left to chance. And of course, the performances are excellent. Mann involves his actors in the whole film-making process, so they live and breath it continuously. It shows in their performances. Pairing Al Pacino and Russell Crowe is a fascinating choice. Pacino is small and nimble, Crowe large and lumbering. Both are mesmerizing.
For those who haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it.
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i'm not a good writer 
i know, shocking!