An intense and gripping insider story about a whistleblower’s fight to tell the truth. A film that shows what can happen when the press seeks to expose a corporation’s unethical practices and the company attempts to silence the whistleblower.
In a time when the media is beholden to corporate interests more than ever, The Insider provides an invaluable warning. This ripped-from-the-headlines drama combines moral imperatives with powerful performances from Al Pacino and Russell Crowe.
This fascinating true tale from 1999 follows 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (played by the marvelous Al Pacino) as he tries to convince ex-tobacco industry chemist Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) to reveal that his former employer Brown & Williamson concealed scientific evidence of nicotine’s addictive powers in their cigarettes. Wigand, however, is bound by an ironclad nondisclosure agreement and faces dire consequences if he breaks it.
Despite the many ethical issues at hand, the film never becomes preachy or moralistic; instead it’s a riveting drama about two stubborn men who are willing to take a stand. Michael Mann uses a measured pace and powerful visuals to generate tension and elicit the characters’ conflicting emotions, and Crowe delivers one of his most career defining performances.
The movie’s only weaknesses are a few scenes that linger on too long and an occasional grating voice-over, but overall this is a remarkable piece of work that weds the tautness of a thriller to the depth of a drama. It’s a film that will resonate with audiences today, even though most of the details of the tobacco scandal have become common knowledge.