The Insider

R

Released Nov 5, 1999

2 hr. 37 min.

Drama

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List

96%

138 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After seeking the expertise of former "Big Tobacco" executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind Wigand's reluctance to speak. As Bergman persuades Wigand to share his knowledge of industry secrets, the two must contend with the courts and the corporations that stand between them and exposing the truth. All the while, Wigand must struggle to maintain his family life amidst lawsuits and death threats.

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Critics Consensus

Intelligent, compelling, and packed with strong performances, The Insider is a potent corporate thriller.

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A B

A top 10 movie seen by far too many people. It's just fantastic start to finish.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Alec C

A tantalizing tale of the costs of telling the truth in the world of media and big business! Al Pacino plays a man searching for answers and Russell Crowe is a man struggling to tell the truth as peering figures loom over them. With some emotional intensity and a sense of paranoia for whoever's keeping the story straight, this is a film that is plucked right out of our own consciousness!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/12/23

Full Review

Farah R

Al Pacino and Russell Crowe deliver a pair of powerhouse performances in this engrossing melodramatic thriller about corruption and courage.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Alec B

One of the best movies about the necessity and difficulty of doing the right thing. Everyone in this cast is doing career best work and Mann orchestrates this thing so well. The indictment of the media here only gets more relevant with each passing year.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

The H

too much display of courage and protection and common sense ethics

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/01/23

Full Review

Lars N

More high octane than most action movies out there without firing a single shot.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

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Michael Mann

Director

Al Pacino

Lowell Bergman

Russell Crowe

Jeffrey Wigand

Christopher Plummer

Mike Wallace

Diane Venora

Liane Wigand

Philip Baker Hall

Don Hewitt

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The Insider: Trailer 1

2:30

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Superbly shot and edited and boasting impeccable recreations of the 60 Minutes broadcast in which Wigand went public, The Insider matches Heat's intensity while raising the stakes.

Mar 26, 2019

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Powerfully and elegantly, The Insider reveals a chilling reality: how hard it is to tell a simple truth when big business doesn't want it told.

Mar 6, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... the movie goes on a nail biting tear...

Rated: A-

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

As a piece of entertainment, it works amazingly well -- the story never drags and it seems to get a little more interesting with every scene.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 27, 2023

Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

In a century of obscene compromise, The Insider stands as a titanic moral enterprise... through image and sound and reserved yet deliquescent performance, captures men's wills. It's Heat, hushed.

Rated: 10/10

Sep 11, 2021

Full Review

Caffeinated Clint

Moviehole

Pacino and Crowe, powerful performers in their own, singular right, make for an extremely dynamic duo in this absolutely riveting, intricately plotted true account of a jaw-dropper case from a few years back.

Sep 3, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

After seeking the expertise of former "Big Tobacco" executive Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), seasoned TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) suspects a story lies behind Wigand's reluctance to speak. As Bergman persuades Wigand to share his knowledge of industry secrets, the two must contend with the courts and the corporations that stand between them and exposing the truth. All the while, Wigand must struggle to maintain his family life amidst lawsuits and death threats.

Director: Michael Mann
Screenwriter: Eric Roth, Michael Mann
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Buena Vista (Walt Disney)
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 5, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.0M
Sound Mix: Surround

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