Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
The Insider
This movie tells the true story of Jeffrey Wigand, a former tobacco executive, who decided to appear on the CBS-TV News show "60 Minutes." As matter of conscience partially prodded by producer Lowell Bergman, he revealed that, the tobacco industry was not only aware that cigarettes are addictive & harmful, but deliberately worked on increasing that addictiveness. Unfortunately, both protagonists of this story learn the hard way that simply telling the truth is not enough as they struggle against both Big Tobacco's attempts to silence them and the CBS TV Network's own cowardly complict preference of putting money as a higher priority over the truth. This movie is slow paced but gripping for ever second it is on the screen. Pacino's performance is accented and accentuated beautifully by Christopher Plummer's portrayal of Mike Wallace. Surprisingly, it is Crowe that drives this movie forward, and his portrayal of Wigand is spot-on perfect. This movie is quiet, intense, and ultimately, extremely moving. Recommended.