Michael Mann’s The Insider makes a riveting thriller and expose of how big tobacco’s long-running tissue of lies was finally exposed by investigative journalism. At its center stands Lowell Bergman, a producer for 60 Minutes, the CBS News program where a former tobacco scientist named Jeffrey Wigand spilled the beans. First Bergman coaxes Wigand to talk, then he works with reporter Mike Wallace to get the story. Finally he battles with CBS executives who are afraid to run it — because a lawsuit could destroy the network. Bergman is a modern investigative hero, Woodward and Bernstein rolled into one.
It’s easy to understand why the film earned Oscar nominations for both Pacino and Crowe. Both actors give outstanding performances, ranging from explosive passion to brooding introspection. Mann creates a tense drama without resorting to the old standby of shootouts and car chases, by entering his characters’ minds. It’s a style he used in Heat, pitting calculating, disciplined expert thief Robert De Niro against intuitive veteran detective Al Pacino.
The movie isn’t flawless – there are a few minor subplots and some of the acting is just so-so, but when it’s on target — and it’s on target most of the time — The Insider is a powerful drama about moral imperatives and the corruption of a National Institution. It also provides a reminder that worthwhile character studies and history lessons can still attract audiences, even in a movie culture infested with teenybopper crap.