A very slick, smart, and absolutely shocking film.

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2000)

"The Insider" is like the "All The President's Men", "The Hurriance", and any other true story that involves dirty tactics. The true story revolves around Lowell Bergmann (Al Pacino), a segment producer for the CBS news show, "60 Minutes" and Jeffery Wigand (Russell Crowe), a former sciencetist who used to work for Brown & Williamson. Bergmann wants Wigand to go on "60 Minutes" and tell Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) the little secrets that the seven C.E.O.s, a.k.a "The Seven Dwarfs" didn't tell Congress. Wallace and Don Hewitt (Philip Baker Hall) oppose Bergmann's idea to air the segment because Big Tobacco might sue CBS. Russell Crowe is simply superb here as he was in "L.A. Confidential" and earned an Oscar nomination for it. Al Pacino, too, is fantastic and he deserved the Best Supporting Oscar hands down. Dante Spinotti's cinematography is spectacular as is the musical score. Director Michael Mann has made some classics in the past ("HEAT", "Manhunter"). Add "The Insider" to that list.