A high level drama

Rating: 8/10 (27 February 2000)

I didn't know what to expect of "The Insider". The first time I heard about it I didn't care much. Then, I saw one scene at a TV programme and I thought it was a conventional film as "A Civil Action". But, in December, it received some nominations to the Golden Globe, including best picture and, even not winning anyone, I started to show some interest about it. About fifteen days ago, the nominees for the Oscar were announced and I knew that "The Insider" could be a strong rival for "American Beauty" -my new favorite film-, so it had to be almost as good as the other one. Well... I watched it this afternoon, and... if it's not better than "American Beauty", or as good as that, it is a high level film which has its importance.
Everything in "The Insider" has a high level, from the acting to the screenplay. Director Michael Mann, whose previous works were "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Heat", does a wonderful job with the camera and is helped by a very well written screenplay, based on a true story, which makes suspense about ordinary things and keeps the attention of the audience. If Kevin Spacey weren't on the list for best actor nominees, my favorite one would be Russell Crowe. He was great in "LA Confidential" and here he perfectly plays a man in contradiction, who has to make an important decision and has to deal with the consequences. Al Pacino delivers a stellar performance once more, and Christopher Plummer should have been remembered by the Academy. The film has its flaws (the fact that it is slow, for instance), but this defects are covered by its great qualities.
"The Insider" is a very important movie for some reasons. It is about the power of the media in the '90s and how it can manipulate people. But, more than anything, it is a film about ethics, and how ordinary people deal with it. Russell Crowe's character, Jeffrey Wigand, is on a very difficult situation, and the film shows very well how he faces it. That's one of the greatest points of this picture.
I gave "The Insider" a 9 out of 10 for all its qualities and great points, showing a sad true story very, very well. But if you want PERFECTION, pure perfection, go watch "American Beauty", which is for sure my favorite for best picture.