Jeffrey Wigand coexists as a scientist working in research for the tobacco company. Over time, this man seemed to face an unexplained fate when he was fired from work, while he was able to communicate with Lowell Bergman, a 60-minute producer who worked closely with journalist Mike Wallace. A research chemist is exposed to a mysterious path in the meantime when he decides to appear in '60 Minutes' presented to Big Tobacco.
Pumped up with sharp editing, vivid performances and a damning true story to tell, it's a morality tale with a hard contemporary punch.
Dark Horizons
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.
Common Sense Media
December 28, 2010
Fascinating whistleblower story for older teens.
Time Out
February 09, 2006
The movie reveals Michael Mann's unparalleled ability to fashion taut suspense from unpromising material.
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.
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.
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.
Rolling Stone
May 08, 2001
Mann turns a moral issue into riveting suspense.
eFilmCritic.com
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.
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.
