Review of The Insider (1999) by James H — 31 May 2015

As a film maker and huge mega fan of the industry, I am gobsmacked at what I just witnessed. The fact that it took me this long to even hear about, let alone witness a film of this calibre is baffling.

I've loved pretty much everything Michael Mann has ever achieved with his directorial career, but here, he just creates this piece of entertainment that is raw and calculated and all sorts of grandiose that, I can confidently say, I've never ever seen anything quite like The Insider.

Instead of his usual crime or thriller genre pick, Mann here decides to go for a true life story and biopic of fresh and epic proportions. Lowell Berman, is a CBS producer, on one of Americas biggest news shows, 60 Minutes.

After returning from Tehran on a recent story, he stumbles across an obscure story of a man name Jeff Wigand, a former scientist and consultant for a massive tobacco company, who recently has just been fired, on false terms and he has some very big news.

However when the tobacco company find out that their reputation and lively hoods are on the line, with Wigands secrets, not only can CBS not get enough of his story, but his life becomes threatened and family life destroyed, as the whistle blower, tries to do whats right.

This film is a masterpiece, on so many levels. The cast, what a cast, Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Rip Torn, Christopher Plummer and Michael Gambon make up just a portion of raw talent in this film and every single one of them are completely on top form, all off them, not a bad apple in the bunch.

Every actor in the film lives their character and being a strong minded director about character and visualisation, Mann orchestrates this ensemble wonderfully, with time and consideration. Pacino is on fire as CBS producer Lowell, his drive, his motivation to get the truth out there is overwhelming, he delivers such a sense of emotion and passion, I actually think, this could be one of Pacino's finest moments.

Crowe is just outstanding as Wigand, the man with everything to lose, his multi layered character is a sight to behold, as his family life is turned upside down and his past trudged through the mood. Equally Michael Gambon as the head of the large tobacco company, regardless of his limited screen time, is just out of this universe, he emits so much threat, so much evil and snide intentions, that his entire scene is edge of your seat, jaw dropping.

And Christopher Plumber, oh my god, he just steals the screen, every single moment he is on it, literally chews it up and spits it out. He revels in every moment and his chemistry with Pacino is awe inspiring.

The script is so well written, its engaging, thematic, arcing, tension filled,dialogue is real and passionate. There isnt a single flaw in any of it, its all required, it gives just the right amount of exposition, when it needs to and never more, leaving the story building and building, till our hearts cant take it any more.

The actors deliver their characters and dialogue flawlessly and extra gratitude to Mann for clearly allowing these guys to go the full mile, it pays off in every respect. The visual element, although not quite as flashy as his other work, is expertly crafted, with a wide range of colour palette and lighting.

The way in which the sequences are crafted and edited together are kinetic and hypnotising, every single conversation, and there are a lot of them, just brings something new and stylistic to the table.

The look and feel consistantly follow the themes and tones of whats going on, extreme close ups are used to wonderful effect, making us feel claustrophobic at times, putting us right where we want to be in the film.

I havent seen this kind of cinematography ever and its wonderful, seemless and downright admirable. The use of music and choice of music is spot on, the soundtrack and score just resonate with your emotions, they pull even more out of the content, giving you a real sense of threat and helplessness as this entire debacle explodes over everyones face.

Its polished, well directed, acted, producer, edited, filmed, the story is so rich with content and an utter joy to watch unravel. I literally fell deeper and deeper into every second of this film, torn apart by what was happening and transfixed on the screen, all the time.

How often do you get that in a film? Not often enough, and missing this film, if you have any remote interest in the art form is a collosal mistake. It has such much texture, so much style and finesse, that it has now became one of my all time favorite films.

I have nothing bad to say, its not over bloated, despite glancing over its run time, it doesnt bore, it never takes its foot of the pedal and it hits every mark it sets out to. I cant think of one thing at all to critize, and at is an achievement.

If you havent seen this film, get on it right now.