The Insider (1999) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Russell Crowe, Al Pacino and Christopher Plummer. Written by Michael Mann and Eric Roth. Directed by Mann.
I have a problem with movies based on fact that offer disclaimers saying parts of the story are fictitious dramatizations of actual events.
Which parts? What should I believe and what should I consider as a screenwriter's fertile imagination?
These questions gnaw at me as I reflect on "The Insider," a suspenseful drama about a tobacco executive who blew the whistle on the industry, revealing its dirty big secret - that its executives always have been aware that the nicotine in their cigarettes is addictive.
But "The Insider" is so much more. It's a story of courage, idealism, ego and corporate cowardice.
It is understandable why CBS officials are criticizing the movie. The network, specifically "60 Minutes" creator Don Hewitt, are portrayed as waffling individuals, caving in to the corporate lawyers who call the behind-the-scene shots.
As a whole, lawyers come off very poorly here, whether representing CBS or the tobacco interests. "The Insider" could spark a renaissance in lawyer jokes.
Another institution receiving an unflattering portrayal is 60 Minutes newsman Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer), who is conceived as egotistical, pompous and self-serving.
The hero of "The Insider" is Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), the former Brown & Williamson vice president who went public.
Wigand, like all true heroes, is a conflicted and flawed individual. He weighs doing what he knows is right against an uncertain future. Wigand risks the financial security of his family by violating the confidentiality agreement he signed upon his termination.
It is Wigand who first approaches - anonymously - Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for 60 Minutes, by sending him a packet of data concerning the tobacco industry.
It is mesmerizing to watch the cat-and-mouse game played by Wigand and Bergman. Wigand wants to unburden himself, yet he remains reticent around Bergman, continually questioning his motives. He pushes Bergman away while simultaneously enticing him with hints about what he knows.
At the same time, Wigand begins to receive threats. The phone rings at odd hours, but no one is on the other end. He finds a bullet in his mail box and believes he is under surveillance. Is this real or paranoia? "The Insider" proffers the perspective that, yes, the tobacco interests are keeping an eye on this former top official and are using coercion to force him to maintain his silence.
But you never know for sure. The FBI believes Wigand himself placed the bullet in his mail box. So, who to believe?
"The Insider" changes focus once Wigand goes public and films his "60 Minutes" interview with Wallace.
Director Michael Mann, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth (adapted screenplay Oscar-winner for "Forrest Gump"), begins to concentrate on the infighting at CBS over the airing of the Wigand piece.
And while all this behind-the-scenes activity is interesting, it lacks the human drama of Wigand's dilemma.
Wigand, reduced to teaching chemistry at a high school in Kentucky, becomes the focus of a smear campaign contrived by the tobacco interests. His past is combed, and he is accused of being a wife beater, an alcoholic and a crook.
But instead of concentrating on Wigand's situation, we watch the raging debate between the CBS news people and its corporate lawyers over airing the Wigand interview. It ends with Bergman being overruled and an alternate version of the segment aired minus Wigand's testimony.
The last section of "The Insider" focuses on Bergman's attempts to exonerate Wigand and get his "60 Minutes" segment aired.
"The Insider" is compelling and very interesting. Despite the big issues, Mann has created a very intimate film. Much of it is shot in close-up - with generous dollops of extreme close-ups so we are forced to become intimate with the characters.
Crowe is superb as Wigand. Wisely, he does not make his crusader a knight in shining armor. Crowe re-creates an individual coping with extraordinary circumstances. He doesn't hide Wigand's drinking, his vanity, his emotional confusion. Crowe's eyes show a man trapped under a spotlight he wishes to avoid.
Crowe's Wigand is a decent man doing what is right while at the same time regretting his actions.
Pacino's Bergman is the idealist, a former radical journalist hired by "60 Minutes" to uncover the big lies and air the hard-hitting stories. Bergman continually says he is a man of his word who has never betrayed a source.
But Bergman also is a seducer. He knows what to say to Wigand and how to say it. He plays Jiminy Cricket to Wigand, telling him it's his duty to humanity to go public.
Pacino recently, in films such as "The Devil's Advocate," has a tendency to be very broad. In "The Insider" he is a bit restrained but does have some moments of theatricality in which he is more Pacino than Bergman.
If Crowe has inhabited Wigand, then Pacino has merely scouted out Bergman. Plummer is smooth as Mike Wallace. The real Wallace, of course, has taken umbrage with this portrayal of himself as a man concerned more with his legacy than with revealing the truth. Plummer's Wallace seems to go with the flow. He appears as adept at office politics as he does at interviewing a terrorist or a whistleblower.
In the end, of course, the original "60 Minutes" interview with Wigand is aired. History - still being written - tells us what havoc this has created within the tobacco industry.
But is "The Insider" history? It's high docu-drama wrapped around a skeleton of facts. It's fascinating and holds your attention for its entire two hours and 38 minutes. But as you watch, you have to cipher history from Hollywood. Does it make a difference? Will it affect the movie's impact? In the short term, no. But 20, 30 or 40 years from now, who can tell?
Today, when people think of the Apollo 13 mission, do they picture Jim Lovell or Tom Hanks?
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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