The Insider [1999]

Directed by Micheal Mann (Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice), The Insider is a true story about a whistle-blower who exposed the tobacco industry as one of the most evil legal enterprises in our recent history. I want to say that this is a polarizing subject, but it’s actually not. For fucks sake, I think that everybody knows that the tobacco is bad for you and that’s an acknowledged fact in our modern society. However, in some parts of the world, the tobacco companies are still trying to make their case by influencing governments. If you want to know more, check out this John Oliver segment: Tobacco: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). Back to the movie: this is a slow-burner with an excellent cast and intriguing story. Showing us what’s going on behind the scenes, Mann recognized the troubles of both whistle-blowers and journalists who are working with them. For public fucking good.

Jeff Wigand, a former research biologist for Brown & Williamson, a tobacco company, knows something that he’s afraid to share. At the same time “60 Minutes” producer Lowell Bergman suspects this. On the lookout for a big story, he keeps trying to get Jeff to open up although he may face everything from jail to murder for speaking out. This is the time where all hell breaks loose, lawyers get involved and soon enough, big ugly head of tobacco industry starts its efforts to suppress all of this…

There is not much action in this movie, but there is a lot of suspense and intense scenes, like in real life, and special weight to this flick is the fact that it is based on a true events. Another movie you might wanna check out is Kill the Messenger. The Insider is not an entertaining movie, it’s difficult, especially if you would like to see some justice in the world. It shows you the true nature of the systems and concepts that are active right now and how they are compromising humanities future for the benefit of few individuals. Ultimately, it makes you think about things that leave a bitter taste in your brain and to make things even cornier, here’s a Samuel Beckett’s quote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Debi Mazar, Gina Gershon, Rip Torn

Fun Facts: The real Jeffrey Wigand asked for two concessions from the filmmakers: that they change the names of his daughters, and that there be no smoking anywhere in the film. Both requests were granted (except for the three small instances previously mentioned).

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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140352/