The Insider

For this blog's 500th review, we'll revisit The Insider (1999). Michael Mann is best-known as an action director but this superlative thriller is his finest hour. Raising questions of corporate malfeasance and journalistic integrity, it's a gripping watch.

Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) is fired as chief researcher for the tobacco company Brown and Williamson. 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) approaches Wigand, who's reluctant to violate his confidentiality agreements. But the cajoling of his boss (Michael Gambon) and a series of anonymous threats convince Wigand to turn whistleblower over the company's use of nicotine additives, only to find Brown and Williamson checkmating his every move. They institute a gag order to interdict his deposition by Mississippi prosecutors and threaten to sue CBS for interviewing him. As Wigand's life falls apart, Bergman stands up to his bosses Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) and Don Hewitt (Philip Baker Hall) for selling out their source.

The Insider paints a chilling picture of corporate power. Brown and Williamson's denial of nicotine addiction and chemical tampering shows naked contempt for their customers, putting profit ahead of smokers' lives. Yet the company is so big that it's virtually untouchable, with armies of lawyers, private investigators and a multibillion-dollar war chest. An individual like Wigand scarcely has a chance, when he has so many vulnerabilities (a family, his reputation). Even whistleblowing only achieves so much against a resourceful corporation.

More interesting still is the portrayal of CBS, a far cry from All the President's Men's reporter-worship. Reporters see themselves as public watchdogs, and certainly 60 Minutes can claim that title. But journalism is also a business, and CBS News proves no less susceptible to corporate pressure and litigation. The network attorney (Gina Gershon) points out that once Brown and Williamson finish suing them, they'll be well-placed to buy CBS out. Mike Wallace and Don Hewitt objected to their portrayal but it's hard to think the compromise between integrity and business is far off.

Those apt to bash "the liberal media" may quibble with Mann's view of journalistic integrity. Certainly Bergman goes to extreme lengths in helping Wigand, even hiring private security and arranging for his deposition. Five years after the movie's release, CBS was rocked by the Rathergate scandal, which damaged their reputation far more than any tobacco company. On the other hand, why shouldn't journalists expose corporate corruption or protect their sources? With their media budgets and PR firms tobacco companies don't need mollycoddling.

Mann provides suitably tense direction. He goes for some showy montage work and a brief fantasy sequence which doesn't break the oppressive atmosphere. Elements of the story feel familiar (no points for guessing how Wigand's wife [Diane Venora] reacts to the pressure) but Eric Roth's screenplay is slickly packaged and never less than compelling. There's also a wonderfully moody soundtrack, with standout tracks by Lisa Gerrard and Massive Attack.

Al Pacino gives a fine performance but Russell Crowe steals the show. Besides radically changing his appearance, Crowe gives a subdued turn as a man nearly broken by guilt, uncertainty and paranoia. Somehow he won an Oscar for his far less demanding work in Gladiator instead. Christopher Plummer makes a joyfully catty Mike Wallace, a prima donna with a heart. Mann assembles a dynamite supporting cast: Diane Venora, Colm Feore, Michael Gambon, Philip Baker Hall and Debi Mazar. Bruce McGill (W.) has a standout bit as a fiery prosecutor.

The Insider makes an excellent thriller with some disquieting food for thought.