A masterpiece of craftsmanship, acting, and storytelling of a true story!

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2000)

I saw Michael Mann's "Heat" some time ago, and loved it. I was also excited about his next film "The Insider". However, the trailers advertised what looked like an action film, so I passed on it and forgot about it. However, the Academy Award nominations recently came up, and "The Insider" was nominated for Best Picture. I don't think it or any other film will win against "American Beauty"(which I have not yet seen, but will), but nonetheless, you can't resist seeing a good quality film. To my luck, it was re-released and now seems to be making more money than it did when it first premiered. I saw it, and was absolutely amazed at what a good film it was.
First of all, "The Insider" is based on a true story, and it stays very true to the actual accounts, with the exceptions of some dramatic additions which were stated at the end of the film. It was very realistic and the actors didn't look like they were acting, even though they do an excellent job of doing so. They looked like real people, who talk to each other in a normal manner, unlike the cliched Hollywood dramas with the characters overacting and giving lines that only work in movies. I also liked how the characters were handled. Al Pacino as the journalist is laid back, yet determined and true to his word and never intends harm to anyone. He cares about his subjects, and he wants to help them. Russell Crowe as the doctor is great, because he's not some gung-ho hero who has a wife that looks like a centerfold on Playboy magazine and sarcastic one-liners. He is a real, living, breathing family man whose wife cares for him, yet is unable to deal with the problems his "inside" knowledge of the drug industry causes. The movie dances beautifully back and forth from these characters. Both are equal in importance, and both are given a great amount of care by the director. Michael Mann makes absolute sure that you know who these people are, and what they are feeling.
I also loved the camerawork, because it was never overdone. People complain that it got out of focus at times, but that only added to the realism and artistic qualities of the film. As a matter of fact, what makes this film so great is how everything, even the music, was underplayed. Overdoing something for dramatic effect is silly, but is often done to "please" the audience and wake them up. Here, you can't help but be riveted because it's just so damn real!
"The Insider" tells the story of a man, or an "insider"(Russell Crowe) who knows secrets about the cigarette and drug industry, but is afraid to talk. He is approached by the journalist(Al Pacino) and is offered to do an interview regarding the subject. He agrees. Threats are made to him by the drug industry, and death threats are made to his home. He blames the journalist, but the journalist says he only wants to help and has nothing to do with the events and threats that are happening. The "insider" goes for broke and does the interview, and then testifies before a court, after he is warned that if all does not go well, he could go to prison.

Then the film goes from being a riveting case of what it took to get the truth out of the "insider", and turns into a poignant study of how the power and manipulation of the media can take a normal family man, and destroy his life. The "insider's" wife files for divorce and takes the kids away. CBS is afraid to air the story on 60 minutes because they might be sued and lose money, and their ownership of CBS. The "insider" moves out and lives in an apartment, in seclusion. There is a brief moment when Michael Mann uses a digital effect to morph his room into the backyard of his home and he sees his two daughters digging in the garden. The result is one of the most saddening images of the film, in which we see this man, this family man, lose everything he worked so hard for and loved, merely because he told the truth to the media and the court.
"The Insider" is definitely one of the year's very best films, and it's a shame that it didn't receive as much attention as it did when it first premiered. Like I said, I doubt it will win Best Picture, but that doesn't detract from the overall quality and art of this film. If you want to see a great film that turns it's back on Hollywood dramas and a fascinating true story, then look no further. "The Insider" is it!