| THE INSIDER |
 1999
- USADirector: Michael Mann - Reviewed by Kerri 
I could compare this movie to a snowball rolling downhill: it starts out
small, perhaps not so intriguing, but as the speed picks up, it grows
bigger and bigger until it turns into a massive creation worth
fascination. By the end of the film I was clutched on the edge of my
seat, waiting breathlessly for the next motion. Although we all know the
ending, and the true story behind the Vanity Fair article that was
behind this film, director Michael Mann manages to turn a
whistleblower story into a high-emotion drama.This is the performance Russell Crowe should have won the Oscar for, it's been said. Now that we all know him as Gladiator, it's important to remember that when he did this film he was reltively unknown. Crowe plays Dr. Jeffrey Wigund, the corporate tobacco exec who gets fired from Brown & Williamson and tells his story of tobacco industry conspiracy to TV's 60 Minutes despite his legal confidentiality agreement. What happens next is a turn of events that cost him his family, his reputation, his emotional well-being, and nearly his life. Here we see a man broken down by the mistakes he has made; he is conflicted between his moral conscience and his responsibility to his family. Crowe manages to portray these emotions flawlessly; at times you want to slap Dr. Wigund, at other times you can feel his pain. The story wisely doesn't end there, for what happened in real life was a major journalistic event that turned the esteemed 60 Minutes into headline news themselves. Al Pacino plays producer Lowell Bergman, who befriends Wigund and draws his story out of him. Although the story is newsworthy, CBS has problems with it, fearing a lawsuit from the tobacco company. For the first time in history, business prevails over journalism, a consequence that divides the newsroom, breaks down the friendship between Bergman and Mike Wallace (played by Christopher Plummer), and threatens Bergman's job. While we see none of the classic Pacino outbursts, we do see a smashing rendition of a frustrated, outraged, former-activist newsman at work. We first saw Michael Mann's expertise at directing men driven by passion in 1995's Heat; there it was the cop and the criminal; here it's the journalist and the whistleblower. There is a lot of pent-up energy and anger, a lot of screaming and betrayal. Yet the story flows smoothly and keeps you interested, even if the subject matter is not particularly Hollywood-esque. Outstanding performances by Plummer, Diane Venora, Michael Gambon, and Bruce McGill round out the film. My only complaint is the Lisa Gerrard soundtrack I felt did not belong to this genre. Overall, this was an engaging movie worth numerous viewings. |
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