Cult Classic: The Insider

For such a genuine masterpiece, shockingly few people have actually seen The Insider.

It comes from director Michael Mann - who was piping hot coming off of Heat - stars Al Pacino (in his last brilliant performance) and Russell Crowe; garnered a clutch of Oscar nominations and bagged five star reviews everywhere upon release. In fact, a lot of critics argued that Crowe should’ve won an Academy Award for his performance in this film as opposed to Gladiator the following year. In JOE’s opinion, as good as Gladiator is, we’d have to agree.

By Mike Sheridan

Crowe plays real life whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand; a scientist who was an employee of a tobacco firm that knowingly manipulated the nicotine levels in their cigarettes to “enhance” the experience - thus making the process of smoking the cigarette far more dangerous.

He is fired, without warning, when he is privvy to a top level executive signing off on it. Contacted by Al Pacino’s news producer, he does an interview explaining all of this, which is promptly pulled by the powers-that-be at the television network. The film chronicles the struggle to get the interview aired and the tense bond between both men to do just that.

There’s a feeling as soon as the credits have rolled after the final shot of The Insider that you’ve watched something truly epic, not a character driven drama based on a true story.

That is testament to the ability of Michael Mann as a filmmaker to make films feel huge; simply put, The Insider is one of the most beautifully shot movies ever made. It’s superbly executed on every level and features quite probably the finest career performances of not just Crowe, but possibly Mann – after the far more fancied Heat.

This is thought-provoking, stirring cinema that puts the viewer firmly in the place of Wigand in an organic manner. You cannot help but feel for this man, who despite wanting to do the right thing, finds every conceivable obstacle in his way; while Pacino’s newsman too feels a moral obligation to his source.

After The Insider, The Godfather star and all round acting legend descended into a series of shouty roles; his work here is amongst the most subtle and effective of his career and is his last properly great film.

Quite possibly the best movie you’ve never seen.

For more cult films, check out the Jameson Cult Film Club.