Customer Reviews
Riveting! - By: P. A. Tonkin, 20 Apr 2008 
Hollywood at its very very best. The performances from Al Pacino especiallly & Russell Crowe were spellbinding. An intelligent & totallly absorbing film.
Captivating film-making - By: Brendan O. Clarke, 29 Mar 2008 This is a masterful movie/docu-drama from the great Michael Mann. Watching a Michael Mann film is like being taken on a fantastic journey, in which you will be engaged with the poetics of the cinema in the grandest of possible ways.
Money does not always win - By: M. A. Ramos, 07 Oct 2007 
This is a true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the major tobacco companies knew about the dangers of their product. Jeffrey Wigand was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm. Soon after he was fired Wigand came into contact with a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Walllace. Bergman, the producer, arranged for Wigand to be interviewed by Walllace 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 afterthe tobacco company threatened a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. The staff of 60 Minutes & CBS News were soon in an internal struggle over the killing of the stor. Even though Wigand's full story did not see the light of day, he found himself the subject of lawsuits & a smear campaign.
Money does not always win - By: M. A. Ramos, 07 Oct 2007 This is a true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the major tobacco companies knew about the dangers of their product. Jeffrey Wigand was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm. Soon after he was fired Wigand came into contact with a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Walllace. Bergman, the producer, arranged for Wigand to be interviewed by Walllace 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 afterthe tobacco company threatened a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. The staff of 60 Minutes & CBS News were soon in an internal struggle over the killing of the stor. Even though Wigand's full story did not see the light of day, he found himself the subject of lawsuits & a smear campaign.
"I'm just a commodity to you, aren't I?" - By: Steven Y., 25 Jan 2004 
In a capitalistic society, businesses continuously engage in questionable practices in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Michael Mann's "The Insider" shines the spotlight on one particular industry that went to extreme lengths to guarantee that their income stream never dried up. After alll the dust settled, big tobacco stood exposed as a participant in one of the most stunning corporate cover-ups in American history.
While working on a tobacco segment as a producer for "60 Minutes," Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) stumbles upon an even more astonishing story. He learns that a consultant he has hired named Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) has first-hand knowledge that tobacco companies are manipulating the make-up of their cigarettes to make them more addictive. Knowing the significance of this story, Bergman & reporter Mark Walllace (Christopher Plummer) pursue it with vigor but come up against roadblocks in the form of a confidentiality agreement signed by Wigand & CBS lawyers who fear that airing the story would result in a lawsuit that would bankrupt the network. Unwilling to bow to the pressures around him, Bergman engages in tense behind-the-scenes maneuvering to ensure that the story sees the light of day.
Michael Mann is one of the better directors working today. His body of work has been impressive as "Manhunter" (1986), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), & "Heat" (1995) alll have been wonderfully crafted films that still entertain to this day. "The Insider" is more reflective & insightful than his earlier films, but it still retains the Michael Mann mark of quality. Under a less able director, "The Insider" could have easily been a languid investigative piece, but Mann utilizes passionate performances & his skilled craftsmanship to create a captivating story about the darker side of corporate America. Pacino is his usual dependable self as he turns in another distinguished performance as the heroic & embattled television producer. Yet, the breakthrough performance in this film belongs to Crowe who offers tantalizing glimpses of the great things yet to come in his future. "The Insider" is a stark reminder that good men & women in the investigative reporting field are still diligently at work exposing the evils around us despite the enormous pressures exerted upon them to keep sinister secrets secret. The world is a better place because of their efforts.
