Great Modern Day Thriller Movies: “The Insider”

Michael Mann’s intelligent docudrama The Insider is a simmering concoction of altered facts and dramatic license, and is by far, the best movie of 1999. The film (co-written with Oscar-winner Eric Roth of Forrest Gump fame) is effectively accurate as an engrossing study of ethics in the corruptible industries of tobacco and broadcast journalism. On one side, there is Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), the former tobacco scientist who violated contractual agreements to expose Brown & Williamson’s inclusion of addictive ingredients in cigarettes, casting himself into a whirlwind of moral dilemma. On the other side is 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), whose struggle to report Wigand’s story puts him at odds with veteran correspondent Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) and senior executives at CBS News.

As the urgency of the story increases, so does the film’s palpable sense of paranoia, inviting favorable comparison to All the President’s Men. While Pacino downplays the theatrical excess that plagued him in previous roles, Crow is superb as a man who retains his tortured integrity at great personal cost. The Insider is two movies–a cover-up thriller and a drama about journalistic ethics–that combine to embrace the noble values personified by Wigand and Bergman. Even if the details aren’t always precise (as Mike Wallace and others protested prior to the film’s release), the film adheres to a higher truth that was so blatantly violated by tobacco executives seen in an oft-repeated video clip, lying under oath in the service of greed.

While Russell Crowe is truly the star in this film, one certainly cannot overlook the outstanding performance turned in by Al Pacino. Pacino lives up to this movie’s expectations, and provides wonderful depth in his character. The pure sarcasm in several of his lines leaves you laughing inside. Watching Al Pacino is a delight- and in the end, you hope he not only wins the right to produce TV as he sees fit, you are hoping that his character gets a raise!

Lastly, we cannot forget the performance of a veteran actor, Christopher Plummer. Plummer shows sides of Mike Wallace that you imagined were there, but have never been able to see. Plummer gives the movie a perspective – and plays the depressive Mike Wallace with amazing elan. In the end, you forget that Mr. Plummer is an actor – you begin to think that the real Mike Wallace is the true actor!

This movie is as well-built as it can get. The cinematography and direction give this film a captivating magnetism. There are no slow phases – you remain glued to the storyline from the beginning till the end. The sets, the tone, the music – all blends together like a great suit – well-tailored, warm and satisfying. Michael Mann reels you in, and does not let go. He takes you on a wild ride- your heart races, your eyes tear, your palms sweat, and you are forced to wriggle in your seat. He does his job, and he does it really well.