The Insider
Jeffrey Wigand was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm, Brown and Williamson. Not long after he was fired by Brown and Williamson, Wigand came into contact with Lowell Bergman, a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Wallace. A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a '60 Minutes' expose on Big Tobacco.
22 August 1958, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1971, Costa Mesa, California, USA
3 April 1962, New York City, New York, USA
20 September 1966, Moss Point, Mississippi, USA
29 September 1962, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
7 April 1964, Wellington, New Zealand
1948
27 July 1968, Rotorua, New Zealand
12 May 1948, New York City, New York, USA
26 June 1950, San Francisco, California, USA
11 July 1950, San Antonio, Texas, USA
4 January 1957, Port Said, Egypt
5 November 1955, Bronx, New York, USA
13 May 1938, USA
12 July 1963, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
13 August 1964, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
June 24, 2009
Not a single shot could be improved in either lighting or framing; nor is there even a single cut that could be moved by so much as a frame without damaging the exactitude of its placement.February 09, 2006
The movie reveals Michael Mann's unparalleled ability to fashion taut suspense from unpromising material.March 21, 2001
Mann, who mastered style in his TV series Miami Vice and previous films like Heat, adds substance to the formula with the intensely dramatic, fiercely principled Insider.October 29, 2008
A sobering examination of corruption, courage, cowardice, and the sometimes catastrophic costs of telling the truth.December 28, 2010
Fascinating whistleblower story for older teens.April 27, 2007
What I didn't expect was an intelligently absorbing entertainment that ran for two hours and 40 minutes, during which I didn't once look at my watch -- just about the highest praise I can bestow upon a film these days.April 25, 2003
Pumped up with sharp editing, vivid performances and a damning true story to tell, it's a morality tale with a hard contemporary punch.November 29, 2009
A supremely suspenseful and riveting dramatic tour-de-force.September 24, 2007
It has a buzz of excitement and complexity -- the sense that we're seeing the actual back-room decisions that affect lives.May 08, 2001
Mann turns a moral issue into riveting suspense.January 15, 2008
Despite having no action scenes, a 2.5 hour running time, and based around the tired subject of tobacco, The Insider manages to be one of -- if not the best thriller of the year.June 18, 2002
It's a good thing Wigand isn't a conventional, come-to-the-rescue hero in The Insider, because, although Michael Mann tries for a victory dance, there's ultimately little cause for cheer.