| The Insider (1999) |
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| CAST: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall
DIRECTOR: Michael Mann MPAA RATING: R RUNNING TIME: 148 Minutes STUDIO: Touchstone |
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THE INSIDER follows the true events of the 1995 tobacco scandal. A recently fired whistle-blower (Russell Crowe) knows a secret that could sway public opinion against tobacco. Al Pacino, who plays a producer for the show "60 Minutes", tries most of the movie to get Crowe to come on the show and spill his guts. Crowe signed a confidentially agreement upon his firing, but wants to tell the world about the real effects of nicotine. So it's up to Pacino and crew to get the truth out, but how much will it cost them to do so?
This film has so much acting that you won't mind that 99.9% of the movie is just talking. There are several intense moments in the picture. Pacino surprisingly stays calm with only a few of his trademark shout scenes. Still, he's fun to watch. He and Crowe show good chemistry onscreen. Crowe had to gain roughly 50 lbs. for the part. The guy is one of the most underrated actors in the business. Pacino and Crowe are terrific, but it's Christopher Plummer's take on Mike Wallace that steals the movie. He has some of the best lines and his hard-nosed manner echoes throughout the movie. The "60 Minutes" real life crew was in an uproar over the movie. Big deal. There were many non-true scenes added to give the movie a little oomph. And the true scenes were spiced up a little. This is one of the best films of the year. Even though the running time is over 2 and 1 /2 hours, the movie plays at a very nice pace. The first half is Crowe's movie and the second part belongs to Pacino. I don't think director Michael Mann (HEAT) was solely showing us the life and times of "60 Minutes". I think he was trying to show us the real power of the media, and the ugly side of Corporate America. He succeeded. |
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