The best film of 1999!!!

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 1999)

Leave it to Michael Mann to direct a epic story about a modern tale of David versus Goliath. Except this story has two David's and two Goliath's. Yet, the center of the story is the risks and trouble it takes for one to expose the truth. The first David is Jeffrey Wigand (Rusell Crowe), a former tobacco scientist who was fired for "poor communication skills." But Jeffrey was really fired for questioning his bosses at the tobacco company about putting a addictive chemical into cigarettes to increase sales. It isn't until Jeffrey's and his family's life are threaten that he wants to go to the press and expose the truth. Enter the second David, "60 MINUTES" producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino). Lowell thinks that this could be the biggest story of the decade. And Lowell and his friend/reporter Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) to run a cover story on what Jeffrey has to say. But airing a story this big, won't be easy. Now comes the first Goliath, the CBS executives and attorney's. They feel that airing this story will cause a major lawsuit on CBS, and destroy the business deal of Westinghouse's purchase of the network. And if Westinghouse doesn't buy CBS, the executives will lose a lot of money. The other Goliath is the big tobacco company. If Jeffrey testify against his former employer's his health benefits will be taken away, and Jeffrey needs it since one of his daughters suffers from asthma. This is quite a story, and Michael Mann does a brilliant job of bringing it to the screen. Mann has done a excellent job in the past of showing true to life crime stories: THIEF
& MANHUNTER. A violent, yet historical adaptation of THE LAST OF THE MOHICIANS. And his biggest and best work yet about a Los Angeles epic crime story, HEAT. THE INSIDER isn't as good as HEAT, but it does come pretty darn close. It's the kind of film that goes by quicker and it's more enjoyable every time you watch it. The acting is top notch as well. There's a strong supporting cast including: Christopher Plummer, Phillip Baker Hall, Michael Gambon, Diane Verona, Lindsay Crouse, Debbi Mazar, and Bruce McGill. But the two leads, Pacino and Crowe, definitly stand out for their acting. Pacino does a excellent job as the network producer who is suffering from trying to get the truth exposed, but is being pushed back from doing that. And Crowe is also excellent as the informer who is looking over his shoulder as he's fearing for his life. What's also great about this film is the excellent cinematography by Dante Spinotti. Spinotti has done a great job in the past with HEAT and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, but in THE INSIDER, he displays his best work yet! Some of the scenes just need to be seen to see how great of a job Spinotti does. And the music score is also wonderful. It really adds to the suspense and tension that this story brings. That is why I LOVED, THE INSIDER so much. There is so much to love about it. Like many other films that try to make a point with it's story, THE INSIDER does it so well. And Michael Mann not only does it well, but with style. I will be very disappointed if this film, the actors, and cinematographer don't get recognized in Febuary for the Oscars. This film well deserves it! A outstanding, not to be missed classic! ***** (out of five)