Leave it to Heat director Michael Mann to make a seat-gripping near-thriller about something as inherently dull as corporate whistle-blowing. The Insider is a freely fictionalized retelling of the events that lead to the current attack on the tobacco industry: When a medical researcher for a big cigarette company spills his guts to 60 Minutes, it puts CBS into an ethical tailspin as lawyers come knocking with a broken confidentiality agreement in one hand and a lawsuit in the other. I know what you're thinking: Yawn! But Mann's richly atmospheric style and the every-syllable-counts script help stuff every minute of the picture with such wall-to-wall tension that journalism feels as stimulating as espionage. Featuring brilliant performances from Al Pacino, Russell Crowe and Christopher Plummer, this likely Oscar contender is highly recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 26, 2013—Touchstone, 157 min., R, $20—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's The Insider sports a nice transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include a production featurette (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: Mann's multiple-Oscar-nominated true-life film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]
The Insider
Touchstone, 158 min., R, VHS: $106.99, DVD: $32.99, Apr. 11. Vol. 15, Issue 2
The Insider
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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