A very well-done movie about the expose' of the dirty, cheating, lying tobacco industry.

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2000)

Although somewhat dramatized, "Insider" is based on the real events and real people which resulted in the mid-90s expose' in the USA by TV's "60 Minutes" of the dirty, lying, money-grubbing tobacco industry. Since I am not a smoker, and have little regard for long-time smokers, I paid very little attention to the real events when they happened. However, this movie provides a fascinating insight into the TV news business, and the tactics of the dirty, lying, money-grubbing tobacco companies and their CEOs and their lawyers.
Al Pacino as usual does a fine job as the "60 Minutes" producer. Interestingly, the insider, Jeff Wigand and the B&W CEO are both played by British actors, Russell Crowe and Michael Gambon, but they both do credible jobs with "American" accents. Crowe, especially, is superb as Jeff Wigand.
I saw this on DVD. Although it has a couple of interesting extras, including glimpses of some of the real characters, the DD 5.1 soundtrack is disappointing. Except for a couple of early scenes, one in a cafeteria and one with rain, there is virtually no sound in the rear channels. Not up to today's standards for 5.1 sound.
Overall I rate this movie "9" of "10" and one that everyone should see.