Gripping, Disturbing

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2001)

Not that it's any big surprise that corporate interests supercede reporting/news on the boob tube, The Insider still chillingly portrays the plight of Jeffrey Wigand, ex tobacco company scientist, on his whistleblowers journey with the 60 Minutes TV Newsmagazine. This movie had me on edge the whole way. Outstanding performances, especially from Christopher Plummer. His turn on Mike Wallace is unforgettable. This Actor is IN THE ZONE! Al Pacino makes it look eeeeaaasy, and Russell Crowe transcends his dialect struggles (he goes with a mishmash of "American" dialect, and at times I found it a little distracting), but he scores with his understated Pressure Cooker character development. The screenplay and writing is wonderful, as are many supporting roles. If you haven't seen this one, you owe it to yourself to check it out.