A perfect film for any fan of cerebral and slow-burn thrillers, or political dramas. In the niche but fascinating sub-genre of whistleblower movies, The Insider stands incredibly tall. As a self-professed Michael Mann fan, I can’t believe that it took me so long to get around to watching it. With a mighty 96% on RT it’s certainly not underrated but it deserves to be talked about just as frequently and with just as much reverence as the brilliant Heat (1995).
It tells the story of how 60 minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Pacino) fights to persuade former tobacco head honcho Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) to expose the filthy secrets of the tobacco industry, and then the fight to get the story told. Its brilliance is in not only honing in on the pressure and threats exerted upon the whistleblower by his former employer, but in showing that Bergman also puts pressure on this ordinary man to put himself in the firing line to break an amazing story. There are shades of grey everywhere, and Wigand is not simply a hero, nor is Pacino. The challenges of trying to get the story told, against serious pressure from the industry, add another layer of tension.
Performances are absurdly good here. Not just from the two leads, but a nuanced Christopher Plummer, and the sensational Bruce McGill absolutely brings it in one of the best courtroom-set scenes I’ve ever seen.
I’m sure there’s a lot of love for it on this subreddit, but it’s so good it deserves another shoutout. If you haven’t seen it, please do get around to it! You won’t regret it!