Rating: 
Summary: Not a boring minute to be found
Review: At just over 2 1/2 hours, there is not a single moment wasted in this amazing picture. I've probably watched it five times now, and each time I see it I see new things and gain more appreciation for every aspect of this movie.As you probably already know, this is a film about a man who blows the whistle on Big Tobacco, putting his entire life as he knows it into complete turmoil. Russell Crowe does a superb job transforming himself into Jeffrey Wigand, commendably acting against Al Pacino, who really is doing what he always does, but here it works perfectly. Watching him take total charge of each moral argument he is forced to confront is really a blast. The camerawork is superb--every shot has purpose and meaning, and usually is visually exciting in some way or another, right down to simply watching a character move through a hallway. The choice of settings and lighting are constantly pleasing and noteworthy. Even the use of the hand-held camera a la NYPD Blue, a technique that I usually find completely annoying, was appropriate and integrated nearly seamlessly into the general flow of images. Finally, the music is done in the same manner as in Heat, another Mann film, in the form of mostly already composed pieces by already known artists. Mann employs a wide range of artists in his general montage--the ones I noticed outright were Lisa Gerrard, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Massive Attack in the closing scene in a trip-hop pulse that fits the whole wrap up perfectly. Even with the serious nature of the subject matter I have been able to watch this movie over and over, and I will continue to pull it out and share it with whoever will watch.
Rating: 
Summary: The Time Machine
Review: Another exammple of Hollywood's view of the world. As an ex-smoker, the significance of this drama eludes me. I mean its not as if nobody has the slightest inkling that cigarettes are bad for you and addictive and you shouldn't smoke. But apparently the responsiblity does not lie with the individual - to get a grip on him or herself and not smoke - but with the big tobacco companies who are made to seem as if they are preying on a hapless populace who regard them with tragically misguided childlike trust and reverence. From the gravity of this movie a newly-arrived space alien who wandered into a theater and pointed his antennae at the screen would get the impression that we earthlings are very much like the eloi and morlocks of HG Wells' future world. The eloi smokers - lets call them the smokeloi - go around in a beatific daze with a cigarette hanging out of the side of their mouths at all times. They are not eaten by the tobacco-producing morlocks - lets call them the philmorlocks - but presently some of them develop a whacking cough. The time traveller witnesses this situation and it does not occur to him to ask the smokeloi why they don't just stop smoking. Instead, he suggests that the smokeloi should sue the philmorlocks for everything they own - which in this case is plenty. The scene fades out with the thus incited smokeloi still smoking but now jumping up and down chanting slogans, holding placards with cigarettes hanging out of the side of their mouth. They buoy the time traveller aloft like he's stage diving at an REM concert and as the light hits his face in those last few moments you can't quite tell if he's supposed to be Al Pacino or Russell Crowe and come to think of it you don't really care.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and moving, not to be missed
Review: "The Insider" is a riveting, gut-wrenching experience, which was largely ignored at the box office and got shafted in the Oscar race. Both of these occurrences are shameful because the public and the Academy failed to recognize one of the best of movies of the year (if not the best; I thought "American Beauty" was overrated), and probably one of the best movies of the 1990s. The most shocking aspect of "The Insider" is that it is all true. Everything portrayed on the screen actually happened (though enhanced for dramatic effect, of course). There is a man named Jeffrey Wigand (played by Russell Crowe), a former researcher at the Brown & Williamson (B&W) tobacco company. Upon being fired for "creative differences," he tapes an interview with "60 Minutes" in which he states that Big Tobacco executives (lovingly referred to as the "Seven Dwarfs") lied to Congress when they testified that the nicotine in cigarettes does not cause cancer. Wigand's confession violates his confidentiality agreement with B&W; his severance package (including health benefits for his asthmatic daughter) is terminated, and he and his family are threatened. He risks everything to expose one of the most egregious social injustices of our time--and CBS was not going to even air his interview for fear of being sued by B&W. As you are watching, ask yourself, "If you were in Wigand's position, would you do it?" Then you will see what courageous and driven man he must be. All of these feelings and emotions come out in Russell Crowe's power-packed, dynamite performance. He completely loses himself in Wigand's personality, and gives a heartfelt portrayal of a man trying to do good, but pushed back and tormented every step of the way. Crowe brings you along with him into Wigand's world, takes you into his personal hell, and eventually leads you out. Dramatic performances don't get better than this. Equally powerful is Al Pacino as a "60 Minutes" producer who fights to get Wigand's interview on the air. He is equally passionate about journalistic integrity and moral obligation, and steps into the ring with CBS execs to ensure that the truth is heard. He will not rest until the job is done, and will not accept no for an answer. He is believable, likeable and righteous; the scenes where he tries to earn Wigand's trust are awesome (he and Crow have good chemistry). This is Pacino's best turn in years. Kudos also to Christopher Plummer as "60 Minutes" anchor Mike Wallace, and to director Michael Mann for his gritty, no-nonsense filming. "The Insider" was nominated for 7 Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Director for Mann, and Best Actor for Crowe), and did not win a single one. I would have nominated Pacino for Best Actor, and Plummer for Supporting Actor, and would have actually handed out a few. The performances of each, especially Crowe, are worthy of Oscars. "The Insider" is a long film, but well worth it. It is a movie everyone should see; it will change how you view the world.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could rate this a 10...
Review: This has got to be my favorite movie of all time. (Or at least in the top 3).
Russell Crowe is amazing. Really what else can be said that others haven't already articulated. He should have won the Academy Award for this, why he didn't is beyond me.
Pacino and Crowe together have excellent chemistry and Michael Mann, as always, makes a movie that runs over two and half hours seem like no time at all and leaves you wanting more.
The soundtrack is moody and beautiful and fits the pastel scene work incredibly.
From the Missisippi District Attorney to the scumbag tobacco heads, this movie shows just how disgusting and seedy that people can be and it also shows that there are still people willing to take a courageous stand for their beliefs. EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT, buy this movie, you will not regret it. By the way, did I say that it was EXCELLENT.
Rating:
Summary: Super!
Review: The Insider is Russell Crowe's precursor to the Gladiator. Watching Crowe in Insider and the Gladiator is a true display of the brilliance of this young actor. The Insider brings you two of the best actors in history in Al Pacino, my selection for the #4 spot of best actors of all time. (Crowe, although still needing more films under his belt, comes in at #20.) The Insider shows how corporate profit out weight the well-being of the people. Knowing their product (tobacco) is habit forming and deadly, the giants use everything within their means to crush and discredit the informer and attempt to control the media. As a member of the media, it is embarrassing to see how CBS coward under pressure only to have Bergman and Wigand push harder to do the honorable thing. They will bring the evidence to the public. The Insider is well written and the acting from all including Christopher Plummer is fantastic. The script and Michael Mann's direction is great, no surprise it received 7 Academy Award nominations including best picture. This movie is a keepsake, not since Heat and the Godfather have moviegoers had the opportunity to see two of the best actors in film together.
Rating:
Summary: A heroes tale
Review: It's interesting to compare this move to Russel Crowe's following movie because it really demonstrates the craft of this movie's screenplay. We have two different types of heroes. We have the gigantic hero of Gladiator, unparalleled in skill and rigidly straight in moral direction. This is the hero that only really ever appears in Greek legends and Hollywood movies. On the other hand we have the real-world hero, Jeffrey Wigand - not impressive in his skills, doubting his own moral direction, weak and afraid. He is impressive only in what he accomplishes. Even if the actual historical details are fiddled with a little (within the bounds of artistic integrity) the story is a real one and Wigand's struggle is real. For anyone who thinks there is a lack of heroes in this age, we must notice that there actually is a wealth of humbler heroes. There is no Perseus, or Gilgamesh, or Noah, or Superman or other mythologized heroes. But we still have people to look up to (like my dad for example). This story is done with such intelligence and perceptiveness, and a very good understanding of the situation it portrays. It's a movie about journalistic ethis in an age when the news media seems too often to be under the thumb of the big corporation (actually most news is made by the big corporations). And Russel Crowe's acting is at it's best. His eyes speak so much even when his mouth isn't. He knows how to bring out sympathy subtly, how to create this rich character. I liked the movie better than All the President's Men, which it has often been compared to.
Rating:
Summary: Don't think corperations have too much say? Check this out!
Review: This a beautifully made & deeply spiritual film (Michael Mann's best, I think) about two men who discover the difficulty of achieving success in modern American life when the power structure is controlled by a few multi-billion dollar corperations w/ mutual interests. Russle Crowe & Al Pacino's characters both learn some hard lessons about what being succesfull in the 90's really requires.
Rating:
Summary: An intimate story of two stubborn and unlikely heroes
Review: This film has been described as a David v Goliath story about the exposee of big tobacco, which it certainly is, but what made this picture such an emotional experience was that beneath the surface, was an intimate story of personal struggle among two men, Jeffrey Wigand(Crowe) and Lowell Bergman(Pacino). Jeffrey Wigand, the proud, reluctant family man, who went about in blowing the whistle on his former employers, Brown & Williamson, was not protrayed as the typical crusader out to do good for the right cause. He was shown with all of the flaws of human frailties present that contributed to the realism of the movie. The motivation for him to particiapte in an exposee of Brown & Williamson was strictly to preserve his pride as a man of integrity and most of all, to protect his manhood and prevent castration from the powers that be. His reasons for going public were not noble and were not for the right reasons. It was the way the film gave him a full arc in which he began to shape into a real hero doing what he did for the right reasons, made it a movie with great depth and brutal honesty. Aside from those qualities, another admirable quiality about this film were the photography and visual compositions. The visual style this movie carried was just absolutely amazing. And it wasn't obstrusive to the story or overly-stylized. Every composition and color scheme were there to add to the atmosphere and storytelling. Michael Mann's minimalist compositions reminded me of Michelangelo Antonioni's work that gave this film the detached feeling and presence it required in revealing the anti-social personality and confusion of Jeffrey Wigand. Director MAnn and Dante Spinotti is definitely up there with other frequent dynamic duo Director/DP teams like Steven Spielberg with Janusz Kaminski, Coen Bros. with Roger Deakins, Anthony Minghella with John Seale, Wong Kar Wai with Christopher Doyle, and so on.
Rating: 
Summary: Style plays substance in a game of two halves. One-all draw.
Review: From the very opening shot, as a blindfolded Al Pacino is raced through the streets of Gaza to meet the leader of the Hezbollah to negotiate an interview with 60 minutes, you know that style is going to be important component of this movie. Before that, even, if you're paying attention, since it's a Michael Man flick (he of Miami Vice and Manhunter). And like Manhunter, style gets the better of content, to the point where the content jackknifes halfway though and the film morphs from a fairly routine Whistleblower expose (like Silkwood) to a Testament to Journalistic Integrity: Russell Crowe's victimised whistleblowing ciggy scientist almost completely disappears from the last forty minutes as Pacino battles with CBS legal and corporate honchos to get the segment aired in the name of truth and justice. Meantime, the style grates - from the elaborate opener in Palestine which, while impressive, is irrelevant to the film except to show off Al's commitment to his profession, to the silly music and the the endless shots of the backs of heads - especially Crowe's, but towards the end of the film, everyone else's as well. Maybe Mann was trying to invoke some imagery with this, but I couldn't figure it out, so it just annoyed me, especially since it highlighted, in Crowe's case, a very poor wig. Crowe did his best to rustle (ha!) up a Kentucky accent, but still was miscast - I don't think the Wigand character was a hollywood hunk. Pacino carried the film and Christopher Plummer's portrayal of Mike Wallace was spot on. While it's undoubtedly an entertaining film, just too much about it was cliched or needlessly modish for it to make a real impression, so I reckon it's destined for the half price hire section in the video store. But cheap at half the price.
Rating: 
Summary: An outsider's view of THE INSIDER
Review: THE INSIDER recounts what happened when a tobacco company whistle blower, Jeffery Wigand, tried to go public with info about their practices. Al Pacino plays former 60 Minutes Producer, Lowell Bergman, who tries to convince Wigand (Russell Crowe) that the show will stand by him. Pacino and Crowe are outstanding in the film. Crowe alters his look and speech so much and so well that there were times that I forgot HE was just acting. Pacino is, as always, near perfect.Diane Venora, as Wigand's wife, holds up very well and gives a great performance. She matches her work in Mann's crime epic HEAT Director Michael Mann offers the viewer all sides of this very controversial subject matter, without leaning one way or the other. The only trouble I had was with Christopher Plummer's take on 60 Minutes anchor Mike Wallace. I thought he played it a little too over the top at times. But that was only mildly distracting. The DVD has very few extras. The most interesting is the "Inside A Scene" featurette. It gives us the most insight into how a scene for the film was made. I wish there was more of that on the disc. But with a great film like this, bonus features are just icing on the cake, and not mandatory.
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