The Insider Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Perhaps the two best actors in the same movie and it's not Heat!

Not a nice man by all accounts although Mr Crowe is certainly a fine actor. Pacino's captivating as usual. Who would've thought such mundane subject matter could be responsible for such a good film.

Worth Watching

Not the kind of film I was expecting. Pacino is his usual strong-self, playing a news producer with principles and Russell Crowe playing the 'Insider'. The film is based on true events, and it is obvious that they have stuck to this as much as possible, giving the movie a lot of credibility, but also meaning that they didn't have a lot of twists or dramatic scenes to go on. Consequently this is not an easy movie to watch, it does drag in parts, and there seems to be too little dialogue and action.

That said, it is refreshing to see a film that feels more 'real-world' that most, and because of that you do end up caring about what happens to the two characters faced with their own crusades of honesty, and the cost that that entails.

Mann delivers again

Hollywood?s generic obsession with the David and Goliath fable is given a more mature working over by the king of grow-up cinema Michael Mann. Russell Crowe plays the everyman who takes on his former tobacco company employers by featuring in a TV insider documentary against them. Al Pacino is the television producer who fights to get the program on air, which details the corrupt way in which cigarettes are made more addictive.

The Insider is typical Mann, heavy on dialogue, ultra personal and utterly watchable. Perhaps, at times overplayed and a touch overlong, Mann always keeps the focus and Crowe has never been better, even managing to steal the acting honours from a haggard looking Pacino.

The truth may not always set you free

In this movie we have set before us a modern day Greek tragedy. Two men struggle with a matter of truth. One knows the truth about "the nicotine delivery business” The other, when he learns the truth from him, has to put his personal integrity to the test in order to get the truth to the public.

Without giving away crucial plot elements my advice is rent the movie and then ask your self is honesty always the best policy.

Great acting by an ensemble cast; in particular Plummers portrayal of Mike Wallace and Crowes skilful of showing the emotional warts that makes his hero not always easy to root for.

Al Pacino is an excellent as always.

Al Pacino / Russell Crow very good performances

This film was all but forgotten when American Beauty received all its oscars, but in terms of acting, script, screenplay it is a masterpiece. The ugly side of Tobacco/Corporate American is shown, and the tobacco industry obviously didn't want this film to get too much attention. Al Pacino's performance in the Recruit is good but routine , i.e not engaging, in this he seems to come alive, really wanting this film to work, both Crowe and Pacino give outstanding performances. Interestingly, as I can remember, no one is ever seen with/smoking a cigarette, in a film about tobacco!

Intelligent and thought provoking, one of my favourite films of all time.

[Highly rated reviewer]

boring-ish considering its a Pacino film

film is really good untill you find out what it is that russell crow knows, its kinda like...'well yeh, and what???'.....the film is all about how much faith people should place in the media and how important the truth is....if your an idealist you will diffinatly like this, i on the otherhand didnt, but it has a great cast so ill give it more than its worth.

Big Tobacco smoked out

Michael Mann's elegy for a vanishing, Ed Murrow-style spirit of investigative journalism on network TV in the US(cf 'Good Night & Good Luck'). Made in 1999, some time before the neo-cons, 'infotainment' marketing pigmies & shareholder-loving lawyers of US corporate media had conspired to betray any challenging discourse in broadcast journalism (e.g. Fox News), not least in holding their owner/advertiser/master corporations to account. Very fine work by the leads, with good support. Flags two-thirds of the way through, though its true-to-life provenance is its defence. Recovers, reaching a fine, complex, unresolved ending.

I opted for this movie thanks to Russell Crowe and Al Pacino, if you see my favourites you'll know why. The theme is excellent showing the grip corporate giants have over man and the media. A liitle over acting by RC mimicking his role in Beautiful Mind, AP at his excellent best. A little slow to get going but the conclusion offers satisfaction. Rent it whether you're a smoker or not! You wont be disappointed.

Totally cool film, with a great Sountrack score from Lisa Gerrard aka Gladiator fame. This film really makes you think about control and who has it and who doesnt. Also about the powerfull corporations that are controlling business today and secret information that goes un-noticed by the public.

At first I didnt think I would like this as its not really an action film, but having watched it, I would say its an intelligent thriller.

I watched it twice

Both principal actors (Pacino and Crowe) give wholly believable performances. Michael Mann as always stamps his mark on this film as a truly gifted director. Aside from story enhancement, most of what happens in the film took place in real life. An intense look at the uglier side of corporate America and it's effect on the little people.