merelyaninnuendo The InsiderThe vulnerability and the intensity that is at stake in here is conveyed accurately which helps the audience connect with in its first few minutes. The adaptation is smart if not gripping and well edited for the most part of the drama is drawn out from the conversation that resonates too much practicality which helps the feature keep it grounded. Michael Mann is no short on execution and is not only supported but celebrated with the help of amazing cinematography and brilliant background score. The feature scores on high pitches through performance and the strength of the star cast like Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Philip Baker Hall and Christopher Plummer. The Insider is a typical informative feature that is not only accurate but is entertaining and electrifying too that keeps the audience engaged through its 157 minutes of runtime where one cannot not be moved by these pragmatic characters.

classicsoncall When Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) made the statement above in a sworn deposition, it changed the tenor of the story for me. Everyone knows that smoking cigarettes is bad for you, but when the damage caused by smoking is exacerbated by chemically treated additives designed to affect the brain and central nervous system so that users become addicted, well that adds a whole new dynamic to this story of corporate complicity to prevent the truth from reaching the American public. I wasn't following this news event all that closely when it broke, but one didn't have to because most of the glaring headlines told the story. I do remember the bit about the 'nicotine delivery business' and it had the effect of sending chills up your spine when associated with the 'ammonia chemistry' Wigand also spoke about. For me, this film played out almost like an espionage thriller. You had the upper levels of corporate and media hierarchy entangled in a sophisticated legal dance designed to keep the truth from coming out. One has to credit the real Dr. Wigand for the courage and fortitude required to withstand the daily onslaught against his character and integrity. Russell Crowe turns in a skillfully conflicted performance of a family man on the brink of having his entire world collapse while trying to do the right thing. Al Pacino may be better known for other roles but he was never finer than he was here as firebrand CBS producer Lowell Bergman, carrying his loyalty and integrity right to the very edge with his company and on-air personality Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). The only part of the script I didn't agree with was when Crowe's character is described by Bergman as being an ordinary person under extraordinary pressure for telling the truth. No matter how you slice it, Wigand was no ordinary person to put up with a divorce, the breakup of his family, and personal character assassination in order to out the tobacco companies. It takes a certain kind of individual in the face of overwhelming opposition to become, in a paraphrase of an earlier comment, a truth delivery system.

Inception Report For me personally I've always been a bit off and on with Michael Mann what few films I've seen from him I'm not a big fan (even Heat) but I was still desperate to see The Insider and now haven seen this masterpiece I will always give him credit as The Insider is now one of my all time favourite movies with amazing performances. The characters in this movie are incredibly investing because Mann doesn't paint them as perfect they're all making mistakes and screwing up which makes them seem more human. Russell Crowe is absolutely amazing in this movie with Gladiator also being one of my favourite movies I wasn't sure if I'd ever see a better performance from him but here he is just as good not only is his accent convincing but the toll taken on him is perfectly conveyed through his masterful performance. Al Pacino is every bit his equal he perfectly conveys his no nonsense, experienced character making you believe that no one else could have played this part. The tension in this movie is done just right every time Crowe puts his (or his families) safety on the line you feel it you are worried as to what the company is going to do to him next. Is also a very interesting film, to see all the ways in which Crowe and Pacino are trying to combat Big Tobacco using the law in very specific way and it further enthuses Pacino's experience and Crowes vulnerability. When things do go Crowes way you feel it the writing in this movie is so good that you are desperate for Crowe to succeed because overall you see that he just wants to do the right thing. I absolutely adore The Insider it's suspenseful and heartbreaking and in many ways also uplifting it's got some Career best performances and makes me desperate to see more films from Michael Mann.100%-A+

NickSkouras pre 911 film dealing w s.o.b.'s of the world. the powerful. elite. the world's changed so much since this film which is filled w such brilliance in most every aspect of production. i wish the same cast and crew and director of course would make a film about the financial meltdown of 2008.we're all too aware of the dark parts of humanity in 2015. seems like the internet has homogenized thought opinion and expression. i remember more diversity out there a decade and more ago. it's as if citizens, journalists, are afraid of original opinion, thought, instincts. watched interviews lately, Ethan Hawke on Sam Jones' show, Colin Farrell on Charlie Rose, and others, where adults, at least perhaps the more sensitive artistic ( read, aware) have some deep questions about the world, maturity privacy and identity as the brave new world turns.what is it about the dark aspect of man, especially at the top, that makes the world increasingly uneasy and suspect? why isn't it about righteousness and equity etc. about dignity, humanity, the spirit and awe of creation and all in it?is it simply the nature of the lions bringing down the lambs? or maybe they've just never had the opportunity or environment for emotional, spiritual or IQ maturation.whatever the case, there's always a pendulum swing. truly noble acts. even in the retelling of a true story such as this. movies like The Insider, Michael Clayton, etc. show us that nobility in the face of such raw indifference. idk.