The Insider

My second movie viewing this weekend was of the film The Insider, starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. The Insider, directed by Michael Mann, is the story of Jeffrey Wigand the infamous whistleblower who appeared on 60 Minutes in the early 1990s and outlined tobacco company misdeeds. The struggle to get his story told unfolds over the two and a half-plus hours of the film. Having a background in journalism and communication probably made this film even more interesting for me as a viewer. It was fascinating to see Al Pacino as the crusading journalist/producer (Lowell Bergman) trying to clear the way for Jeffrey's important story. I must admit to not being a huge Al Pacino fan, but he was terrific in this movie. Russell Crowe is also great and, in my opinion, probably should have won his Academy Award for this film rather than for Gladiator. His performance is understated, but powerful. The courage it took for Jeffrey to come forward and the price he paid for doing so (losing his family when his wife left him, etc.) is elegantly portrayed. This film should be played in modern history classes, as it is truly a magnificent representation of this small piece of our history. My one and only complaint regarding the film is its running time. It was a bit longer than it truly needed to be and some trimming would have been beneficial to keep the momentum going. Despite this minor complaint, I would highly recommend this film if you have not yet seen it.