Highly dramatized but not bad

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2014)

Alright, first off I'm not going to get into a debate about whether smoking is good or bad, I'm honestly not on one side or the other. I personally enjoyed The Insider; it was like a more modern Silkwood but instead of a low-class woman fighting against a nuclear plant it's a research chemist fighting against a tobacco corporation.
Jeff has a high-paying job, a wonderful family and everything is looking up, but when he speaks out against Big Tobacco, it isn't long before his life begins to spiral downward. His daughter suffers from severe asthma that could be deadly without immediate care, and soon he comes home to an empty house. He's soon threatened and accused by Big Tobacco, until a reporter for CBS News wants to interview Jeff and blow the whistle on television.
It's not the smoking or the "evil corporation" concept that's disturbing, what really was sad to watch was how quickly Jeff was alienated from his family for "blowing the whistle". Of course, The Insider isn't the first movie following this type of plot: Silkwood (1983), Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal (1982) and A Civil Action (1997) all follow similar paths. I wouldn't say this is the best out of all these titles, but it certainly is worth watching.