Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Best Journalism Film Since All the President's Men
Michael Mann's The Insider is one of those films that makes you think then it makes you angry. In its most simple form the movie tells the story of corporate whistle blower Jeffrey Wigand and his battle with Brown and Williamson Tobacco. This story is only the beginning however. The film in its second half explores media ethics like no recent film that I've seenRussell Crowe plays Jeffrey Wigand who has been fired from his corporate job at Brown and Williamson. Hired as a consultant by 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) to consult on another cigarette issue he gradually begins to open up about huge health concerns within the industry in violation of confidentiality agreements.The film charts CBS News darkest hour. When it made the choice to pull the plug on Wigand's interview to avoid the risk of a lawsuit which could have cost the Network massive amounts of cash in a corporate buyout.There are outstanding performances throughout the film. Among the standouts are Christopher Plummer as Mike Wallace.Even though the film is somewhat long it maintains interest throughout and remains as one of the greatest journalism films of the last decade or so.