Taglines: Two men driven to tell the truth… whatever the cost.
The Insider tells the true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the seven major tobacco companies knew (and concealed) about the dangers of their product. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm, Brown and Williamson. Not long after he was fired by Brown and Williamson, Wigand came into contact with Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Wallace (played here by Christopher Plummer).
Bergman arranged for Wigand to be interviewed by Wallace for a 60 Minutes expose on the cigarette industry, though Wigand was still bound by a confidentiality agreement not to discuss his employment with the company. Despite Wigand’s willingness to talk, CBS pulled his interview from at the last minute after Brown and Williamson threatened a multi-billion dollar lawsuit.
The staff of 60 Minutes and CBS News were soon embroiled in an internal struggle over the killing of the story, and Wigand found himself the subject of lawsuits and a smear campaign, without his full story reaching the public. The Insider was directed by Michael Mann and also features Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Debi Mazar, Colm Feore, and Rip Torn.
The Insider is a 1999 American drama film directed by Michael Mann, from a script adapted by Eric Roth and Mann from Marie Brenner’s Vanity Fair article “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. The film stars Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, with supporting actors including Christopher Plummer, Bruce McGill, Diane Venora and Michael Gambon.
A fictionalized account of a true story, it is based on the 60 Minutes segment about Jeffrey Wigand, a whistleblower in the tobacco industry, covering the personal struggles of him and CBS producer Lowell Bergman as they defend his testimony against efforts to discredit and suppress it by CBS and Wigand’s former employer.
Though not a box office success, The Insider received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with particular praise for Crowe’s portrayal of Wigand, and Mann’s direction. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role (for Russell Crowe).
The Insider (1999)
Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Debi Mazar, Lindsay Crouse, Stephen Tobolowsky, Colm Feore, Hallie Kate Eisenberg
Screenplay by: Eric Roth, Michael Mann
Production Design by: Brian Morris
Cinematography by: Dante Spinotti
Film Editing by: William Goldenberg, David Rosenbloom, Paul Rubell
Costume Design by: Anna B. Sheppard
Set Decoration by: Margie Stone McShirley
Music by: Pieter Bourke, Lisa Gerrard
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: November 5, 1999
Views: 137
