Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
What? No Best Picture Oscar?
I did not have the opportunity to watch this movie in theaters when it came out, but later I rented it and found myself surprised that this did not win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The Insider, based on a true story, is a powerful (and somewhat cliched) tale of a man risking everything to do what is right.The story focuses on Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe), a former vice president of research and development at Brown and Williamson, and 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Pacino), who tries to get him to violate his confidentiality agreement and expose his former employer. The acting is excellent, with Crowe almost flawlessly performing his role as a "regular guy" caught in the crossfire, and Pacino is perfectly suited for the role of the journalist doing everything he can to get the exclusive that would bring some of the highest ratings ever for a news show.Combined with the brilliant performances is the extraodinary cinematograph, which features filming with a hand-held camera, which adds greatly to the atmosphere of the movie.If you're one of the many people like me who missed this spectacle in theaters, do yourself a favor and rent this movie now. You won't regret it.