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The Insider [DVD] [2000]

DVD ~ Russell Crowe

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

RRP:	�15.99
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Product details

Actors: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall
Directors: Michael Mann
Writers: Michael Mann, Eric Roth, Marie Brenner
Producers: Michael Mann, Avi Kleinberger, Gusmano Cesaretti, Kathleen M. Shea
Format: Dubbed, PAL
Language English
Subtitles: English, Italian, Polish
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: 15
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
DVD Release Date: 8 Jan 2001
Run Time: 151 minutes

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00004WCM4
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,699 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
As revisionist history, Michael Mann's intelligent docudrama The Insider is a simmering brew of altered facts and dramatic license. In a broader perspective, however, the film (co-written with Forrest Gump Oscar-winner Eric Roth) is effectively accurate as an engrossing study of ethics in the corruptible industries of tobacco and broadcast journalism. On one side, there is Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), the former tobacco scientist who violated contractual agreements to expose Brown & Williamson's inclusion of addictive ingredients in cigarettes, casting himself into a vortex of moral dilemma. On the other side is 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), whose struggle to report Wigand's story puts him at odds with veteran correspondent Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) and senior executives at CBS News.

As the urgency of the story increases, so does the film's palpable sense of paranoia, inviting favourable comparison to All the President's Men. While Pacino downplays the theatrical excess that plagued him in previous roles, Crowe is superb as a man who retains his tortured integrity at great personal cost. The Insider is two movies--a cover-up thriller and a drama about journalistic ethics--that combine to embrace the noble values personified by Wigand and Bergman. Even if the details aren't always precise (as Mike Wallace and others protested prior to the film's release), the film adheres to a higher truth that was so blatantly violated by tobacco executives seen in an oft-repeated video clip, lying under oath in the service of greed. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Special Features
German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English German
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interviews
Italian\Polish\

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly intelligent and relevant, 8 Sep 2003

By	J. Humphreys "joe112" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To say that anyone outside the US won't fully understand this film rather misses the point. This isn't just a film about CBS, nor is it only about the evils of the tobacco industry. It is about how ruthlessly profit-driven business firms can bully, threaten and ultimately destroy the life of the little guy. It is about how they can use their financial power to manipulate the media into presenting the public with a distorted version of the truth. Such themes apply to far more than mere American domestic issues - they are problems inherent in big business and the media worldwide. This makes 'The Insider' a very important film. There is a classy director at the helm in Michael Mann, and a pair of live-wire lead actors in Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, who both give sympathetic portrayals, but are never cardboard cut-out heroes. This is a must see: it will change the way you think about the way in which corporations and the media work.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as any 70s conspiracy flick, 26 Feb 2003

By A Customer

These kind of films (ie Parallax View, All the President's Men, The Conversation etc) were staple parts of the halcyon days of Hollywood in the 1970s, but died out somewhat in the 80s onwards.

So it's nice to see Michael Mann pick up the reins and show that in these days of exploding White Houses and strangely attired superheroes that he is the most sensitive and character focussed director around.

Based on an article that appeared in Vanity Fair, centred around the plight of 'whistle blower' Jeffrey Wigand, the film centres on the efforts of both Wigand and Lowell Bergman in exposing the unsavoury practices of the so called 'Big Tobacco' companies in increasing nicotine levels in cigarette produce to keep 'users' buying. When Wigand - essentially an executive chemist at one of the big companies - began questioning the ethics of such practices, he was hounded out of his job and tied up in legal tape to prevent him spilling the beans. Bergman, a producer on 60 minutes attempts to untie the tape . . .

Stunning visuals and a brilliantly direct script, allied to Crowe's mesmerising performance as Wigand and a more-measured-than-of-late performance by the legendary Pacino, mean this film flies past - quite an effort when it's three hours long.

One of Mann's strengths is, as I have said, characterisation, and he is careful not to deify either lead. Wigand in particular is presented as a flawed, lonely man, generally untrusting and uncomfortable around others. Crowe certainly merited his Oscar nomination and should feel robbed in not winning the award. Gladiator should be regarded as pay off for The Insider.

The set pieces are, as we have come to expect from Mann, sublime. In particular, the scene where Wigand locks himself in the hotel room overlooking Brown & Williamson's legal dept is absolutely beautiful. The music, the visual effects in the wall appearing to 'move' intercut with Bergman trying to phone Wigand from his holiday retreat, create, in my view, the best individual scene of any film I can remember.

A clearly heavy handed subject is dealt with sensibly, avoiding sentimentality and schmaltzy conclusions. Perhaps this contributed to the film's worryingly poor box office return in America. The film fared better in Europe, perhaps due to Mann avoiding preaching from the moral high ground.

Interestingly, Mann is a heavy smoker (and smoked constantly while writing the script with his associate Eric Roth) but there is not one cigarette smoked in the entire film.

Your DVD collection is not complete without this - although the outrageous lack of extras suggest that an update should be forthcoming (ie with the original 60 Minutes program etc).

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb,captivating and intelligent filmmaking, 9 Oct 2001

By	jonty rodes- oav14493634@aol.com. (northants,england) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Insider [1999] (VHS Tape)

I saw this film with my girlfriend at an afternoon showing at my local multiplex,there were not a great deal of people watching,and the majority were restless or sleeping by the end. these people missed an astounding film.
The main performances are very powerfull- with Russel Crowe showing just what an amazing actor he is.
It is one of those films you dream about, a film that draws you in and for the lenghth of the film-the only the thing that matters.It is brilliantly directed by Michael Mann-very stylish as always,and although long at nearly 3 hours,you never get tired of watching.
Pacino and plummer add great performances in an unforgettable film.
Truly worth watching.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Insider Review
One of Michael Mann's finest films, and more sedate than his usual cops n' robbers fare. The film is based on the true story of Jeffery Wigand (played brilliantly by Russell... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Paula Mckenzie

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!
Hollywood at its very very best. The performances from Al Pacino especially & Russell Crowe were spellbinding. An intelligent & totally absorbing film.

Published 14 months ago by P. A. Tonkin

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating film-making
This is a masterful movie/docu-drama from the great Michael Mann. Watching a Michael Mann film is like being taken on a fantastic journey, in which you will be engaged with the... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Brendan O. Clarke

4.0 out of 5 stars Money does not always win
This is a true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the major tobacco companies knew about the dangers of their product. Read more

Published 21 months ago by M. A. Ramos

4.0 out of 5 stars Money does not always win
This is a true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the major tobacco companies knew about the dangers of their product. Read more

Published 21 months ago by M. A. Ramos

3.0 out of 5 stars "I'm just a commodity to you, aren't I?"
In a capitalistic society, businesses continuously engage in questionable practices in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Read more

Published on 25 Jan 2004 by Steven Y.

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb film, but not designed for non-US audiences
Granted, THE INSIDER didn't win Best Picture at the Oscars. But, there can only be one Best Picture winner, and that petty detail in the rules shouldn't detract from the... Read more

Published on 4 Jan 2003 by Joseph Haschka

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer brilliance
Words cannot describe the impact that this film has on the viewer (a viewer, by the way, that has the required intelligence and attention span to appreciate this film for the... Read more

Published on 30 Sep 2001 by L. Andrews

1.0 out of 5 stars One star because there is nothing less to give it...
Words cannot describe how disapointed I was with this film. I enjoy the work of both Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, but to star in this film... Read more

Published on 28 Jan 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Boring only for those with minimal brain power....
Michael Mann has always made his films a roller-coaster ride of emotion, this film IS Mann! Captivating and gritty are two of the many good words which describe the Insider... Read more

Published on 26 Jan 2001

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