The Insider

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Huntin P @PaxVobiscum80 4 days ago In my opinion, Al Pacino gives an even stronger performance in this one than he did in 1995's Heat (also directed by Mann). Yet, I believe, at Pacino's insistence, it was Russell Crowe who was put forward for Oscar consideration. Crowe is the Big Tobacco insider and potential whistleblower, Pacino the journalist for 60 Minutes who becomes his confidante. As I've always said, no movie with Christopher Plummer in it can be all bad. Plummer plays the host of 60 Minutes, and Michael Gambon, American accent wandering a tad, is the tobacco company boss who tries to put the squeeze on Crowe's conflicted scientist. In a certain mood, I like to think The Insider is actually better than Heat, but then again we are all more accustomed to the hijinks of cops vs robbers, aren't we? Corporate hardball doesn't have quite the glamour. But this is pretty much a must-see, especially for Crowe's and Pacino's performances. See more Antony B @RT29664284 Aug 23, 2026 The Insider is a powerhouse of a film. Smart, tense, and driven by the kind of moral stakes that make every conversation feel like a ticking clock. The writing brilliant, the performances are extraordinary, and the story turns corporate cowardice and journalistic integrity into genuinely gripping drama. Serious without ever becoming dry, it’s a beautifully controlled piece of filmmaking that gets under your skin and stays there. See more Stefan E @StefanE Jul 27, 2026 Astoundingly good movie. Pick anything you could talk about a movie; cast, acting, plot, cinematography, anything. I can tell you now, it will be 10/10. I watched this movie a second time, and it still surprised me how awesome it is. Definitely recommend rewatching at some point, especially if you don't totally get it the first time. See more Rafi M @RT61647557 Jul 19, 2026 This could have been a good movie. It still could be if it was an hour shorter and had a new score, because it's an important story, on which talented actors were wasted. But in trying to make what is admittedly a dry corporate-legal-media news report about cigarettes into 'Gone With the Wind,' they created a mess. The actual story, cigarette corporation cover-up of the addictive nature of their products, was buried in overused schmaltzy effects: near-constant use of handheld, deliberately unstable camerawork with obstructed/occluded framing, muffled dialog, and key lines buried in dramatically lowered voices and endless, grotesquely inappropriate music. The long, soulful profile shots of the characters, thinking, with opera inexplicably blaring, extended shots of a car on a road with schlocky pop music, and other such attempts to inject emotion into this lifeless flop are what make the 2 hours and 37 minutes seem even more tedious. Oh yeah, Russell Crowe plays a jellyfish. See more Some Guy F @RT75171520 Jul 18, 2026 The attempts to overdramatize the situation turn it into a comedy. I don't know how anyone can take this movie seriously. See more Dominique E @encisonico Jul 5, 2026 Probably the best journalism / whistle blower film I’ve seen next go Spotlight See more Read all reviews

The Insider

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