Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Excellent docu-drama...90's "President's Men"
In 1999, with films pushing the envelope of storytelling(Blair Witch, Fight Club, Matrix) this compelling drama could be considered simple, but it is a remarkable feat of exposition and performance that was unsurpassed last year. Michael Mann has definitely made his best film to date, and it is a piece of storytelling that will go down with "All The President's Men" as a superior journalistic drama.What can you say about Russell Crowe other than magnificent? The reason it is so amazing is to see the other work he has done. He is so effortless in this film that anyone not familiar with his work will not realize what a stretch this is.Pacino is the anchor of this film, and he is, as always, wonderful. Ranging from funny to intense, he takes the audience through this journey and never lets us down as he tries to tell his story to the nation.Christopher Plummer was absolutely robbed of a nomination for his portrayal of Mike Wallace, bringing the different shades of nobility and compromise that Wallace must have been feeling during the entire ordeal to light. He was awesome.Final thought: Bravo to Mr Mann for putting Gary Sandy in this film. Sandy is known best as the lead in "WKRP in Cincinatti" and he plays a shady lawyer in the film. WE WANT MORE GARY SANDY!