Review: The Insider

Based on the true story of Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe, intentionally pudgy and bland-looking) a scientist for the tobacco industry who was fired by the tobacco company he worked for because he couldn’t keep quiet about damning research results suggesting the serious harms of tobacco smoking to your health. Wigand meets with “60 Minutes” producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) to explain some technical jargon for a story. Bergman sees something in Wigand that suggests he has a helluva story to tell. So he starts to put pressure on him, but Wigand is also under pressure from the company, who remind him when he’s fired that there’s a confidentiality clause in his contract. They also may be using more overt ‘scare tactics’ on him and his family. And there’s the stresses of trying to raise a family with non-understanding wife Diane Venora, which doesn’t help. She’s none too pleased when Wigand (who’s not always very communicative) agrees to go on the air with “60 Minutes” anchor Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer as an egotist with integrity, but a bit slow to act), risking his severance package, health insurance, and possibly their lives. But the truth must be told, and Bergman tries his best to get around Wigand’s contract to make sure the stories gets put on the air. Phillip Baker Hall and Stephen Tobolowsky play nervous higher-ups at “60 Minutes” and CBS, Michael Gambon plays Wigand’s former employer, and Lindsay Crouse plays Bergman’s supportive wife.

 

Compelling, well-acted 1999 film from director Michael Mann (“Last of the Mohicans”, “Heat”, “Ali”) and his co-writer Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”, “The Postman”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”). I don’t think Russell Crowe’s Oscar-nominated turn in “A Beautiful Mind” has aged terribly well in the last 15 years (Yep, it’s been 15!), but if he was to win an Oscar, it should’ve been for this film, not his eventual win for “Gladiator”. For some bizarre reason he was in the Supporting Actor category here, even though he is very clearly the co-lead with Al Pacino. At any rate, this is certainly Crowe’s film, and he brilliantly shows the weight and pressure put on Jeffrey Wigand. He may not be a master of accents (don’t tell him that, though), but this is one of his better ones (Michael Gambon, in an otherwise solid performance, botches a Yank accent completely), and a terrific performance. For added irony, he’s also a smoker, I believe. So there’s that.

 

Al Pacino is thankfully not ‘Shouty Al’ in this, and as a veteran “60 Minutes” producer, it’s one of his better turns of the 1990s for sure. Christopher Plummer is persuasive as the conflicted Mike Wallace. Whether you think he’s an exact replica of the bloke or not (I think he’s a fair enough resemblance), who the hell else would you cast? The film also contains two terrific cameos by the often forceful Bruce McGill and especially Gina Gershon as respectively, Wigand’s lawyer, and CBS’s corporate shit-kicker lawyer. The one dud note in the cast is Diane Venora. If I were Mr. Wigand’s wife, I’d be offended by the heartless, selfish bitch Venora (never a terribly empathetic actress to begin with) makes her out to be. I can’t imagine it’s a very accurate portrayal, more one altered to suit dramatic purposes. The script is partly to blame, but Venora (who I swear is just Jessica Lange with a dark wig) is a cold fish of an actress.

 

The fact that this actually happened and the lengths that the corporation went to in order to stop Wigand is really incredible. Call me naïve, but I found it gobsmacking. I find what ‘big tobacco’ do to keep their consumers addicted just as horrible but far less surprising. Of course they do it, it’s smart. Horrible, but smart business. The bullying tactics, though? Insane.

 

I don’t believe there’s any value in starting the film with Pacino’s character on an unrelated prior assignment in the Middle East. All it does is add some unnecessary screen time to a frankly overlong film. The shaky camerawork by Mann’s regular cinematographer Dante Spinotti (“Last of the Mohicans”, “Heat”, the terrible “Public Enemies”) is no help, either to be honest. It’s annoying and unnecessary.

 

The film is just a smidge overrated, but a really good story and not remotely boring. Removing the opening scene would have made it even better. But there’s a lot to like here, especially if you liked “All the President’s Men”.

 

Rating: B-