The Insider (1999)

shadow_priest_x said:
LOL

@ufcfan4 and I were just recently discussing films that involve investigative journalism and that make the research process look interesting. We talked about Spotlight and Zodiac, for instance.

What movies can you add to that list?
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All the President's Men
State of Play
Absences of Malice

edit:
Veronica Guerin
Kill the Messenger
 
@shadow_priest_x

A few more:
1. True Crime
2. The Year of Living Dangerously
3. Killing Fields
4. The Constant Gardner -- not an investigative journalism movie per se, but it has that feel (wasn't going to list it, but it was listed on another site as an example so I'm going with it. Great movie.
 
Fantastic movie. Could use so.e trimming. Acting and dialogue were amazing. One of Manns best.
 
Crowe is so good in it and kind of disappears into the character. The movie was soon after LA Confidential so I remember watching the one and then the other and thinking damn that’s some range this guy has.

And yet, as good as Crowe is, I feel like my favorite parts of the film are the ones that involve Pacino and Christopher Plummer who is awesome as Mike Wallace.

Among my favorites:

When Gina Gershon as the CBS counsel explains tortious interference to them. I just found that really intriguing when she says that if he’s telling the truth it’s potentially more damaging than if he was lying.

The scene where Pacino confronts awesome character actors Phillip Baker Hall and Tobolowsky regarding them considering shelving the Wigand interview. “And you’re going to silence him. Why? Because he’s lying? No because he’s telling the truth! And the more truth he tells, the worse it gets!”

When Wallace realizes they cut down his segment regarding big tobacco and flips his shit. “Mike? Mike! Try Mr. Wallace. Just because we work for the same company does not mean we are in the same profession.”

Another great scene for me is when Bruce McGill- plays the lawyer attempting to get Wigand’s deposition against significant resistance.
That “wipe that smirk off your face!” Moment makes me want to applaud each time.talk about making the most of a small amount of screen time.

Yet through it all Crowe is really the heart of the movie as he is a guy you really empathize with. Sad to see a lot of the shit that happens to him because he goes out on a limb.

Pacino is awesome in it. I agree with Shadow that this was one of his last great film roles. He still delivers in quality TV movies but in theatrical films there were a lot of misfires after this one.

Definitely one of my favorite Mann movies and definitely a film that fits the bill of those good investigative journalism films Shadow and I were discussing.
 
shadow_priest_x said:
Can you explain "not particularly entertaining"? I was locked in and attentive from start to finish and not a lot of movies are able to do that.
Click to expand...

To me the movie doesn't really classify as entertainment. It was a slightly fictionalized version of true events, about a serious subject matter. There wasn't humor, or great action sequences, just a great story. I don't have any desire to watch it again though.

I'd put it in the same category as something like Schindler's List. Incredibly well made but not really made for entertainment.

The Big Short was informative but funny, and I've now watched that multiple times. The Insider is one and done for me.
 
holy fuck, I forgot about this movie. I remember I banging this drum for a couple of years because no one I knew had seen it and it was sooo good. A great film with amazing performances.
Thanks for reminding me of it, I'll watch it again.
 
Actually watched this for the first time like a year ago. Really good movie always been a fan of Crowe.
 
ufcfan4 said:
Crowe is so good in it and kind of disappears into the character. The movie was soon after LA Confidential so I remember watching the one and then the other and thinking damn that’s some range this guy has.

And yet, as good as Crowe is, I feel like my favorite parts of the film are the ones that involve Pacino and Christopher Plummer who is awesome as Mike Wallace.

Among my favorites:

When Gina Gershon as the CBS counsel explains tortious interference to them. I just found that really intriguing when she says that if he’s telling the truth it’s potentially more damaging than if he was lying.

The scene where Pacino confronts awesome character actors Phillip Baker Hall and Tobolowsky regarding them considering shelving the Wigand interview. “And you’re going to silence him. Why? Because he’s lying? No because he’s telling the truth! And the more truth he tells, the worse it gets!”

When Wallace realizes they cut down his segment regarding big tobacco and flips his shit. “Mike? Mike! Try Mr. Wallace. Just because we work for the same company does not mean we are in the same profession.”

Another great scene for me is when Bruce McGill- plays the lawyer attempting to get Wigand’s deposition against significant resistance.
That “wipe that smirk off your face!” Moment makes me want to applaud each time.talk about making the most of a small amount of screen time.

Yet through it all Crowe is really the heart of the movie as he is a guy you really empathize with. Sad to see a lot of the shit that happens to him because he goes out on a limb.

Pacino is awesome in it. I agree with Shadow that this was one of his last great film roles. He still delivers in quality TV movies but in theatrical films there were a lot of misfires after this one.

Definitely one of my favorite Mann movies and definitely a film that fits the bill of those good investigative journalism films Shadow and I were discussing.
Click to expand...

Yep. All great scenes. It just goes to show too, any time anyone blows the whistle on anything illegal or morally objectionable, the playbook for the perpetrators is always the same - deny it and discredit the whistleblower with any extraneous information they can find. And that’s the playbook because it works. Look at what is happening today. It’s the same shit.
 
weich said:
To me the movie doesn't really classify as entertainment. It was a slightly fictionalized version of true events, about a serious subject matter. There wasn't humor, or great action sequences, just a great story. I don't have any desire to watch it again though.

I'd put it in the same category as something like Schindler's List. Incredibly well made but not really made for entertainment.

The Big Short was informative but funny, and I've now watched that multiple times. The Insider is one and done for me.
Click to expand...

I guess when I think of "entertainment" I think of how engaged I am, how interested, how riveted to my seat I am as I watch the movie.

There are a lot of movies that I'd classify as "hard watches," films that while you're watching them you realize that they're very well-made movies but they're difficult to get through. Schindler's List would probably qualify as such.

But The Insider didn't fall into that category for me. I really enjoyed it.
 
Jack Reacheround said:
Yep. All great scenes. It just goes to show too, any time anyone blows the whistle on anything illegal or morally objectionable, the playbook for the perpetrators is always the same - deny it and discredit the whistleblower with any extraneous information they can find. And that’s the playbook because it works. Look at what is happening today. It’s the same shit.
Click to expand...
I found a misspelling in this post, thus meaning is null and void.
 
I know I saw the film and I know at the time I saw it I thought it was a great film...I remember details about the film too and overall know what its all about but I dont remember the ending or specific scenes.... this happens to me a lot I dont know if its because I watch so many movies... I dont remember details about most of the movies I watch I just remember what I thought about them as I watch them and yeah I remember this was a great film!
 
thetruth2709 said:
I remember details about the film too and overall know what its all about but I dont remember the ending or specific scenes.... this happens to me a lot I dont know if its because I watch so many movies... I dont remember details about most of the movies I watch I just remember what I thought about them as I watch them and yeah I remember this was a great film!
Click to expand...

This happens to me a lot as well. It can be a movie I just saw yesterday and I will struggle to remember specific scenes or plot points unless they really stood out to me. But I will have an overall impression of the film and what I thought of it.

It kind of sucks because it makes it difficult to have conversations about the specifics of the movie.
 
shadow_priest_x said:
It kind of sucks because it makes it difficult to have conversations about the specifics of the movie.
Click to expand...

lol yeah that happens to me too.... or my wife tells me "we saw that movie remember it?" and I just stare at her with nothing in my mind and say "no I dont remember it but if you say we saw it then I guess we saw it" I guess it must not have been a great film because I dont remember much about it
 
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