Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Lengthy, but with healthy intentions
A slightly overlengthed film hailed for Russell Crowe's performance should actually be hailed for a few other things; first off, both Al Pacino and Christopher Plummer are magnificent here. Secondly, the cinematography is breaktaking and beautiful, with its vivid use of color, high contrast levels, and focus-changing shots within a small depth of field, perfectly matching the harmonic vocals that complement the movie's poignant score. Lastly, the film's conclusion, with the plot's full Sixty Minutes interview actually airing on television to audiences everywhere with the anti-Tobacco Industry interview, more than makes up for the film's overlength (a trend in 1999, with "The Green Mile" and "Magnolia" each lasting over three hours); the ending is addictively gratifying.