Not as good as I expected it to be

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2000)

The insider was one of those films I was hyped up to see because of all the positive vibes about it coming from the US. Maybe this was the problem. My expectations were too high.
There were two problems for me. The first is that I don't find Al Pacino a very interesting actor these days. He seems to repeat the same mannerisms from film to film and his character (the crusading journalist forced to betray his principles) is one seen in many films. The dilemma of the whistleblower himself (played very well by Russell Crowe) was much more interesting but didn't get enough screen time for real insight.
The second problem was the directing style. None of the methods used is poor in itself. The trouble is that everything was overused. I kept noticing every unnecessary camera jerk, focus change or cut. If you find yourself consciously noticing style and missing the substance of the story, something is wrong. Also the sound was often muddy and the music intrusive.
This is not a bad film by any means. I don't regret going to see it but, in my opinion, it does not have the greatness claimed by so many.