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The Insider (1999)

7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 99,063 users   Metascore: 84/100
Reviews: 495 user | 200 critic | 34 from Metacritic.com

A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a "60 Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco.

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Title: The Insider (1999)

The Insider (1999) on IMDb 7.9/10

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Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 34 nominations. See more awards »

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Storyline

Balls-out "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman sniffs a story when a former research biologist for Brown & Williamson, Jeff Wigand, won't talk to him. When the company leans hard on Wigand to honor a confidentiality agreement, he gets his back up. Trusting Bergman and despite a crumbling marriage, he goes on camera for a Mike Wallace interview and risks arrest for contempt of court. Westinghouse is negotiating to buy CBS, so CBS attorneys advise CBS News to shelve the interview and avoid a lawsuit. "60 Minutes" and CBS News bosses cave, Wigand is hung out to dry, Bergman is compromised, and the CEOs of Big Tobacco may get away with perjury. Will the truth out? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Warning: Exposing the Truth May Be Hazardous See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

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Release Date:

5 November 1999 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Man of the People  »

Filming Locations:

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Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£437,078 (UK) (10 March 2000)

Gross:

$28,965,197 (USA) (21 April 2000)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The script is based on a Vanity Fair article. See more »

Goofs

When Wigand is returning from Mississippi, his car is shown passing a highway sign saying "Louisville" via Indiana state highway 31, which runs through southern Indiana. Since Louisville's airport is not in Indiana, there would be no reason for Wigand to be southbound in Indiana heading for Kentucky. See more »

Quotes

Lowell Bergman: In all that time, Mike, did you ever get out a plane, walk into a room and find that a source for a story changed his mind? Lost his heart? Walked out on us? Not one fucking time. You want to know why?
Mike Wallace: I see a rhetorical question on the horizon.
Lowell Bergman: I'm gonna tell you why: because when I tell someone I'm gonna do something, I deliver.
See more »

Connections

References 60 Minutes (1968) See more »

Soundtracks

"Armenia"
Written by Blixa Bargeld (B. Bargeld) and Mark Chung (as M. Chung), Alexander Hacke (as A. Hacke) and Mark Chung (as M. Chung),
J. Caffery and Mark Chung (as M. Chung), F.M. Strauss and Mark Chung (as M. Chung),
, Andrew Chudy (as A. Chudy) and Mark Chung (as M. Chung)
Performed by Einstürzende Neubauten
Courtesy of Some Bizarre Records UK/Thirsty Ear Recordings USA
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Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Intensity beyond intensity
29 March 2005 | by (Toronto, Canada) – See all my reviews

The Insider is the only film I remember having seen where I walked out of the theatre with a headache because of the intensity of the story. Michael Mann is one of few directors who has such an in-depth understanding of both the subject of his film and the nature of that subject, that he is able to portray a realism that is nearly impossible to match.

There is real skill displayed in the way in which the Insider weaves through the aspects of both Bergmann and Wigand's lives. Whereas a lesser director would have thrown the characters at each other in an artificial collision, Mann introduces each character as being average professionals each living in their own respective stable lives. It is only when their chance encounter creates a subtext that could consume them both does the real chemical reaction in the story take place.

Bringing life to these fantastically written characters are two of the most talented 'big-name' character actors of our time, Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. Surprisingly, it is Crowe that drives this film forward, and his portrayal of Wigand is spot-on perfect. His is an honest humanity, both a loving father and a flawed husband who never fully balances his life under the pressure of circumstance. Crowe nails the performance by not hamming-up the character, but rather by understating his personality. This works in that it is the character that is elevated while the actor disappears.

That is not to ignore the excellent work by the remainder of the cast. Pacino's performance is accented and accentuated beautifully by Christopher Plummer's portrayal of Mike Wallace. Most notably are several standout scenes mixing Pacino, Plummer, Philip Baker Hall and Stephen Tobolowsky that ground the underlying tensions of the film fantastically. And the juxtaposition between the cold, hard New York settings and the organic nature of Mississippi further press this film beyond standard non-fiction works.

Easily one of the best dramas of 1999, the Insider is a standout member of that elite club of great historical dramas such as All the President's Men that are few and far between. It is for that audience that appreciates skilled performances meeting skilled direction and restrained, mature writing.


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