Epic Drama

Rating: 8/10 (8 November 1999)

The Insider is a fascinating look at the story of Jeffrey Wigand and how he revealed to the world that tobacco companies were lying about cigarettes. Russell Crowe gives a very good performance as Wigand, and you feel sorry for Wigand because he has sacrificed his career, family, and good name for a cause he believed in.
What keeps this two and a half hour epic from becoming boring is the quality of the acting throughout the picture. Even the least important characters are played well, except for that annoying Pepsi girl who plays one of Wigand's daughters. I couldn't watch her on screen without wanting to punch her in the face for those stupid commercials. But I digress.
Al Pacino gives an amazingly understated performance as the producer of 60 Minutes who gets Wigand's story on the air. After Mann's last collaboration with the actor on Heat, I expected a little more over-acting, but was pleasantly surprised.
The only fault of the movie is that it does run a bit long. Unnecessary scenes could have been cut to bring the run-time down, but it's obvious that Michael Mann believes in this material. In the end, The Insider is an involving movie that patient viewers will not be disappointed with.