Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Thoughtful, Gripping and Brilliantly Acted
The Insider is great on so many levels. It is perfectly acted by an expert cast, with Russell Crowe delivering without a doubt the best performance of the year. Al Pacino has been great for so long that is is easy to take him for granted, but he makes you sit up and take notice of his talent here, giving a performace that is both slightly over the top and deeply felt. Christopher Plumber was amazing as Mike Wallace, he managed to impersonate the well known newsman perfectly and also make him a relatively sympathetic character. Phillip Baker Hall, as always, gave a rock solid supporting performance as the 60 Minutes producer who kept the segment in question from airing. The cinematography was great, the handheld camerawork adding a sense of urgency to every scene. And, maybe most importantly, the story was deep, thoughful, and entertaining. The characters were brilliantly developed, and the story was gripping. The Insider is over 2 and a half hours long, but it isn't boring at all. Michael Mann is one of the best directors currently working, all of his movies have a distinctive look,an attention to detail, and a certain intangible intellegence. The Insider has an abundance of all three of these qualities.