Few filmmakers can take a ripped-from-the-headlines whistle blower drama and make it chest-thumpingly taut, but Michael Mann does so with this 1999 film. It might seem odd that a film about the tobacco industry would resonate so profoundly today, when movies about corporate corruption and the sleazy practices of politicians and businessmen are all the rage, but The Insider speaks with an authority that still holds up today.
It’s the story of Jeffrey Wigand, a highly respected tobacco scientist with knowledge that could destroy Big Tobacco, who finds himself suddenly unemployed and under intense pressure to keep quiet about his discoveries. That’s when 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (a brilliant Al Pacino) reaches out to him, seeking his expertise for an upcoming segment. Bergman soon realizes that Wigand has information that could devastate the company – and he may be a loose cannon.
With the help of an outstanding screenplay by Eric Roth and Mann, and a gripping performance from Russell Crowe, The Insider makes you feel every pound of pressure on these characters. Wigand is a man of conscience trying to balance his moral imperatives with his family’s future, while Bergman faces the ever-present threat of lawsuit from Brown & Williamson.
The film has the heft of a historical drama and the tension of a thriller, with no car chases or sleazy sex scenes. It’s a methodical drama about moral imperatives, and its superb cast – from Crowe’s explosive passion to Pacino’s brooding introspection – gives it the power that it needs.