Cast: Russell Crowe (Jeffrey Wigand), Al Pacino (Lowell Bergman)

Written by: Eric Roth and Michael Mann

Based on the Vanity Fair article ‘The man who knew too much’ by Marie Brenner

Directed by: Michael Mann

Release date: November 1999

The Insider a scene from the film

Jeffrey Wigand was a top executive in one of the largest tobacco companies in the US. The head of research, a member of the board of directors. He knew certain things about the company’s products and policies. Things you wouldn’t find mentioned in the annual report. Or discussed at the shareholders’ meeting. He was supposed to know those things. Lots of other people working there knew too.

Wigand felt that what the company was doing was wrong. And people ought to know about it. So, what was the problem? After all, in a democracy freedom of speech is a fundamental right. Well…he was bound by a corporate confidentiality agreement. Even after he was fired. It’s a standard section in any employment contract these days. And he didn’t want to be a hero. Heroism requires sacrifice. For the sake of people you don’t know. Who will forget all about you, cast you by the wayside. Once you have had your fifteen minutes of fame, once the whiff of scandal is gone.

Russel Crowe doesn’t make Wigand into a suffering messiah. He is not exactly a likable guy. Reticent, temperamental, always acting cagey. And he is fearful of the consequences. For himself and his family. Big tobacco has big money. And with money you can do anything. But he crosses the fence holding Lowell Bergman’s hand. A producer on CBS’s 60 minutes, he latches on to the story and gets Wigand to talk.

Once the interview is done, the corporate team at CBS sees the sword of a billion dollar lawsuit hanging over their heads. Let pursuit of the truth and being pioneers of investigative journalism go to hell. But what they discount is Lowel, who is also one hell of a stubborn guy. This is Al Pacino’s last role I can recall at the moment in which he really acted. Instead of playing himself over and over again as he has been wont to do in his recent movies. The fiery indignation, the long monologues are all there. But placed in the service of an airtight script and Michael Mann’s flowing direction, it appears all too real.

Michael Mann is one of the most under rated directors working in mainstream Hollywood today. He is probably the only guy who has the ability to infuse a story of corporate whistle blowing with unpretentious lyricism and pathos. And simultaneously, craft a highly entertaining, tense thriller with no car chases, shootings or explosions. Because he knows where suspense and tension arise from. It’s not from the set pieces. It’s from the characters’ motivations, leading to their actions. It’s when you get to know the characters and you begin to care.

Wigand’s story is an intriguing one because he was a regular guy who did something extraordinary by the standards of today’s world. He let his conscience lead him. When being practical and realistic has become a byword for compromise, he acted like a fool. He just went ahead and did the right thing.

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