The Insider

Rating:
Summary: Michael Mann is a genius.
Review: For me, this film ranks up there with "The Shawshank Redemption", "Heat", and "Casino" as far leaving you just completely... satisfied (I guess that's the best word to use)

Extremely suspenseful, with a few spots of humor, and a conflict between characters unmatched in any other movie, this movie leaves a good taste in your mouth.

Just a side-note - For someone who played "Jack Dalton" on MacGuyver, Bruce McGill is a really cool actor: "Wipe that smirk off your face!"

Not everybody will like this movie. But if you want substance, story, and very believable characters, BUY, not rent, "The Insider."

Rating:
Summary: A true "blockbuster" of a movie
Review: As a story and a piece of film-making, this is a true masterpiece, without the hype.

The best of their fields have collaborated to make it all come together perfectly (Pacino, Crowe, Plummer, Mann and Roth - to name but a few).

However thought-provoking it is, it must be remembered that the film is not a documentary but a dramatisation BASED on fact.

For competing views on what constitutes the actual truth, take look at Jeff Wigand's web-site and that of Brown & Williamson.

The movie challenges you to think about the broader ethical issues in corporate America (and elsewhere). As such, I found it to be one of the best movies I have ever had the pleasure of watching (more than once).

Rating:
Summary: An Intense and Disturbing Look At Contemporary Society
Review: This movie is riveting, engaging, and extremely well done. The performances by Crowe, Pacino, and Plummer are especially sharp and on edge, and the direction by Mann is,as always, simply superb. From the opening frames illustrating the cache, access and raw power a TV program like Sixty Minutes offers its producers and stars to the immediately introduced suspenseful counterpoint of Philip Wigand as a man caught in a terrible moral dilemma, this movie is absolutely terrific.

While one relates to Russell Crowe's superb depiction (truly an Oscar-caliber performance) as the man who almost singlehandedly eventually breaks the back of the tobacco conglomerates, I found myself also captivated by Al Pacino's performance with a thoughtful and emotional coda as a smart and street savvy TV producer skating hellbent for leather over the dangerous edges between his personal morality and the seductive but corrupting pressures of a super-competitive and absolutely testosterone-crazy TV program. Likewise, Christopher Plummer's interpretation of Mike Wallace as an egotistical and morally obtuse dilletante who perhaps has stayed at the party overlong is a joy to observe. If it is at all accurate, maybe it's time to finally retire, Mike!

This is a movie that explores the way in which all the powers that be seem to be growing deaf, dumb, and blind to the rights and needs of the individuals in the society, as Wigand finds out quite quickly, to his despair. He finds himself compromised no matter which way he turns, and in an absolutely riveting scene played to the hilt, decides to do what's morally right regardless of the personal consequences. This seemed to be one of the quiet messages imbedded in the movie, that we all need to be more moral and have more intergrity in how we approach ourselves, each other, and the world at large. Amen to that, brother Mann.

Nice to see such extraordinary every-day heroism depicted and lauded on the silver screen. of course, life is never so simple as when it is most complex, and this movie certainly deals with some very controversial issues in an engaging, provocative, and thoughtful story we all can enjoy and learn from. This is a serious, disturbing, and dramatic movie I want to own and pull off the shelf periodically to watch and think about. I think you'll appreciate it too.

Rating:
Summary: You Have To See It More Than Once...
Review: ...to know what the movie is really about, and even then I'm not sure I caught everything. There were some great movies released in 1999, but as far as what movie had the most balls, for me it's a toss-up between Michael Mann's meticulously crafted "The Insider" and "South Park". Personally, I see this movie as an indictment of all corporations, be it Big Tobacco or the CBS Television Network. It's up to strong-minded individuals like the Al Pacino character to keep these bastards in check.

Rating:
Summary: This movie rocks!
Review: I wasn't expecting much from a "based-on-a-true-story" movie but this was just plain amazingly well-done. It wasn't just Al Pacino and his intensity or Christopher Plummer and his eerie similiarity with Mike Wallace (which I totally believed), but my God, Russell Crowe! He gave an amazing performance. The subtlety of his expressions and that accent!! Where did that come from? This movie just shows the range he can perform, from Neo Nazi in Romper Stomper to strong-arm cop in L.A. Confidential to this quiet man who has the biggest secret in the world to tell. If you love an "actor's movie" this is totally your movie to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Not that you need another opinion....
Review: ...but I enjoyed this film enough to write about it. The things I liked most about the film were the characters, and the tension. Al Pacino (as Lowell Berghman) and Russell Crowe (as Jeffery Wigand) were terrific. There protrayals were heartfelt and believeable. The woman who played Wigand's wife was weak, but in some sense she was good because you started to hate her for her lack of virtue. As for the tension, throughout nearly the entire film there is this palpable feeling that someone is going to be knocked off, or something is going to pop onto the screen to make you jump. The odd thing is that very little actually happens in the film (you could probably summarize it in 10 sentences), but you're gripped all the way through. My only complaint is that it was a bit too long. After 2:30+ it starts to get a little dull, and the tension isn't enough to keep you glued to the seat. Nonetheless this film is very much worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Woah
Review: i could hardly believe how excellent this film was when I saw it. I already knew the story that it's based on, and although some things were slightly changed, its for the better.

Old Al does a fine job here, hes not the typical yelling loud character he usually is and carries the role perfectly. Russel Crowe's face is also 100% neccisary in the movie.

Michael Mann's direction is also pure genious. Every scene is done perfectly.

You won't be dissapointed.

Rating:
Summary: **ABSOLUTELY STUNNING**
Review: I've already seen this movie twice, & I know I will see it several more times. It's amazing the details that are revealed from behind the scenes of 60 Minutes, as well as what goes on in Corporate America. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat, & I promise you, you will NOT be bored with this one! Absolutely compelling, stunning, interesting, & riveting! If you haven't seen it yet, get thee hence to Blockbuster, & do it NOW!

Rating:
Summary: Hoping to see More Objective movies like this
Review: I think that the war against Nicotine is not an easy one to engage in.

This film is very interesting and touches the life of an individual who had to go through hell to do the moral thing.

Both Pacino and Crowe did a good job. However, the movie was VERY slow paced; and could have possibly been covered in half the time.

Good point nonetheless. I am a Nicotine Addict by the way, and I have been living without Nicotine for the last 4 months.

Rating:
Summary: An absorbing drama
Review: I originally saw this movie at the cinema, and while I definitely enjoyed it, I did not find myself thoroughly satisfied. However, the acting was of such a high calibre that I rented it to watch again and see what I missed the first time. The second viewing was somewhat of a revelation. What an amazing film! I believe it plays better on the small screen. The subtleties of the narrative and the acting are outstanding. I was completely absorbed in the story and, after purchasing the disc, have loved it as much, if not more, on repeat viewings. I think that The Insider can be ranked, along with Being John Malkovich, as the best film of 1999. With regards to the dvd, the picture quality is excellent but Disney has not given this film the packing it deserves. There are no extras worth mentioning except for an all too brief "Inside a Scene". However, as with The Sixth Sense, they did manage to put unavoidable previews at the beginning of the disc. Shame on you Disney for not giving this remarkable film the kudos it deserves.