The Insider is a
1999The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
film that tells the true story of a
60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American investigative television newsmagazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by long time producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation. It has been among the top-rated TV programs for much of its life,...
television series, as seen through the eyes of a real tobacco executive,
Jeffrey WigandDr. Jeffrey S. Wigand is a former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-harm cigarettes...
. The
60 Minutes story originally aired in November 1995 in an altered form because
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
' then-owner,
Laurence TischLaurence Alan Tisch was a Jewish American businessman, Wall Street investor and self-made billionaire. He was the CEO of CBS television network from 1986 to 1995...
, objected. The story was later aired on February 4, 1996.
The film stars
Al PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is best known for his roles as Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon, Tony Montana in Scarface, Carlito Brigante in the 1993 film Carlito's Way, Frank Serpico in Serpico,...
(
Lowell BergmanLowell A. Bergman is an American investigative reporter with The New York Times and a producer/correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. Mr...
),
Russell CroweRussell Ira Crowe is an Australian actor and musician. His acting career began in the early 1990s with roles in Australian TV series such as Police Rescue and films such as Romper Stomper. In the late 1990s, he began appearing in US films such as the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential...
(
Jeffrey WigandDr. Jeffrey S. Wigand is a former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-harm cigarettes...
),
Christopher PlummerChristopher Plummer, CC is a Canadian theater, film and television actor. In a career that spans over five decades and includes substantial roles in film, television, and theater, Plummer is perhaps best known for the role of Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music...
(
Mike WallaceMyron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist. Wallace has been a correspondent for CBS' 60 Minutes since its debut in 1968...
),
Bruce McGillBruce Travis McGill is an American actor who has an extensive list of credits in film and television.-Early life:McGill was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Adriel Rose , an artist, and Woodrow Wilson McGill, a real estate and insurance agent...
(attorney
Ron MotleyRonald L. Motley is a noted American trial attorney, and a principal of Motley Rice, LLC, a Mount Pleasant, South Carolina-based law firm.- Career synopsis :...
),
Diane VenoraDiane Venora is an American stage, television, and film actress.-Early life:Venora was born Diana Venora in East Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Marie and Robert Venora, who owned a dry cleaning establishment. She left Connecticut for a scholarship at Juilliard School...
,
Michael GambonSir Michael John Gambon, CBE is an Olivier Award- and BAFTA Award-winning Irish-British actor who has worked in theatre, television, and film...
,
Philip Baker HallPhilip Baker Hall is an American actor.-Early life:Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio and attended the University of Toledo. As a younger man, Hall served in the military, started a family and became a high school English teacher. In 1961, he decided to become an actor...
(
Don HewittDonald Shepard Hewitt was an American television news producer and executive, best known for creating 60 Minutes, the CBS television news magazine in 1968, which at the time of his death, was the longest-running prime-time broadcast on American television...
),
Lindsay Crouse-Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...
,
Gina GershonGina L. Jewshon is an American film and television actress, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , and Face/Off .-Personal life:...
,
Debi MazarDeborah "Debi" Mazar is an American actress, perhaps best known for her trademark Jersey Girl-type appearances, and as edgy, sharp-tongued women in independent films and her recurring role on the HBO series Entourage as Shauna Roberts.-Early life:Mazar was born in Jamaica, Queens, the daughter of...
,
Rip TornRip Torn is an American actor. His work includes the role of Artie on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated for six Emmy awards, winning in 1996. Torn won an American Comedy Awards for Funniest Supporting Male in a Series, two CableACE Awards for his work on The Larry Sanders Show...
and
Colm FeoreColm Joseph Feore is a Gemini Award-winning American and Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Personal life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life, subsequently moving to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up....
.
The movie was adapted by
Eric RothEric Roth is an American screenwriter. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump . He also co-wrote the screenplay for Michael Mann's The Insider and for the Steven Spielberg film Munich ....
and
Michael MannMichael Kenneth Mann is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. For his work, he has received nominations from international organizations and juries, including those at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
from the
Vanity Fair magazine article "
The Man Who Knew Too Much"The Man Who Knew Too Much" was an influential article on the tobacco industry "whistle-blower" Jeffrey Wigand, written by journalist Marie Brenner for the May 1996 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. The article was subsequently adapted into the 1999 film The Insider, starring Russell Crowe.-External...
" by
Marie BrennerMarie Brenner is an American author, investigative journalist and writer-at-large for Vanity Fair. She has also written for New York, The New Yorker and the Boston Herald and has taught at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism...
. It was directed by Mann.
It was nominated for
Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
for
Best Actor in a Leading RolePerformance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Russell Crowe),
Best CinematographyThe Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture....
,
Best DirectorThe Academy Award for Achievement in Directing is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
,
Best EditingThe Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; it was first given for films released in 1934. The name of this award is occasionally changed; in 2008, it was listed as the Academy Award for Achievement in Film Editing. The New York...
,
Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible...
,
Best SoundThe Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. Compare this award to the Academy Award for Sound Editing...
and
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or PublishedThe Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
.
Synopsis
In Lebanon,
HezbollahHezbollah is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon. Hezbollah is now also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics...
militants escort producer Lowell Bergman (Pacino) to Hezbollah founder Sheikh Fadlallah, where Lowell convinces him to be interviewed by
Mike WallaceMyron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist. Wallace has been a correspondent for CBS' 60 Minutes since its debut in 1968...
(Plummer) for
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
show
60 Minutes. In
Louisville, KentuckyLouisville is Kentucky's largest city and county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's estimated population as of 2008 was 713,877 , with a population of 1,244,696 in the Louisville...
, Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) packs his belongings and leaves his
Brown & WilliamsonBrown & Williamson was an American tobacco company and subsidiary of the giant British American Tobacco, that produced several popular cigarette brands. It became infamous as the focus of investigations for chemically enhancing the addictiveness of cigarettes...
office, returning home to his wife Liane (Venora) and two children, one of whom suffers from acute asthma. When Liane asks about the boxes in Wigand's car, he reveals that he was fired from his job that morning.
Returning home to
BerkeleyBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, Bergman receives an anonymous package containing documents relating to tobacco company
Philip MorrisAltria Group, Inc. , based in Henrico County, Virginia, is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Ste Michelle Wine Estates, and is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations [remark: outdated info. Philip Morris Intl. was carved...
, and approaches a friend at the
FDAThe Food and Drug Administration is a Government agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of foods, tobacco products, dietary supplements, Medication drugs, vaccines, Biopharmaceutical, blood transfusion,...
for the name of someone who can put the information in layman's terms. Bergman is referred to Wigand, and calls him at his home only to be steadfastly rebuffed. Curious with Wigand's refusal to even speak to him, Bergman eventually convinces him to meet at the
Seelbach HotelThe Seelbach Hotel, now known as the Seelbach Hilton, was founded by Bavarian-born brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach. It is located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States, and was featured in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby...
in Louisville. In the privacy of their hotel room, Wigand agrees to translate the tobacco documents, but stresses that he cannot talk about anything else because of his confidentiality agreement. After leaving with the documents, Wigand appears at a meeting with Brown & Williamson
CEOA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
Thomas Sandefur (Gambon), who orders him to sign an expanded confidentiality agreement, under threat of revoking his severance pay, medical coverage and initiating legal proceedings. Wigand, enraged at the threats and believing that Bergman notified Sandefur about their confidential meeting, calls and accuses Bergman of treachery.
Bergman visits Wigand's house the next day and maintains that he did not reveal anything to Brown & Williamson. Reassured, Wigand talks to Bergman about the seven CEOs of '
Big TobaccoBig Tobacco is a pejorative term often applied to the tobacco industry in general, or more particularly to the "big three" tobacco corporations in the United States and the United Kingdom. The phrase is often used in TheTruth.com, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and other anti-smoking ad...
' perjuring themselves to the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
about their awareness of nicotine's addictiveness, and that the CEOs should fear Wigand. Bergman says Wigand has to decide for himself whether to blow the whistle on big tobacco. Bergman returns to
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
Headquarters in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, where he and Wallace discuss Wigand's situation and the potential damage he could do to Big Tobacco. A lawyer at the meeting claims that Wigand's confidentiality agreement, combined with Big Tobacco's unlimited checkbook, would effectively silence Wigand under mountains of litigation and court costs. Bergman proposes that Wigand could be compelled to speak through a court of law which could give him some protection against Brown & Williamson should he do an interview for
60 Minutes.
The Wigand family move into a newer, more affordable house, and Wigand begins teaching
chemistryChemistry is the science concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions...
and
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none have gained general acceptance...
at a Louisville high school. One night while asleep, he's alerted by his daughter to sounds outside the house. Upon investigation, he discovers a fresh shoe print in his newly planted garden, and begins to become paranoid. The next night, Wigand and Bergman have dinner together, where Bergman asks Wigand about incidents from his past that Big Tobacco might use against him. Wigand reveals several incriminating incidents before declaring he can't see how they would affect his testimony. Bergman assures him they will.
Bergman contacts
Richard ScruggsRichard F. "Dickie" Scruggs is a former A6A naval aviator, a prominent trial lawyer, one of the richest men in Mississippi, and the brother-in-law of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. Scruggs first came to the public eye after successfully suing the asbestos industry on behalf of ill...
(Feore) and
Ron MotleyRonald L. Motley is a noted American trial attorney, and a principal of Motley Rice, LLC, a Mount Pleasant, South Carolina-based law firm.- Career synopsis :...
(McGill) who, with
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
's
attorney generalIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.-Usage:The term has traditionally...
Mike MooreMichael Moore was the Attorney General for the U.S. State of Mississippi from 1988 to 2004. In 1994, he filed the first lawsuit against thirteen tobacco companies, claiming that they should reimburse the State for the costs of treating those with smoking-related illnesses...
, are suing Big Tobacco to reimburse the state for
Medicaid Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states. Among the groups of people served by Medicaid are certain...
funds used to treat people with smoking-related illnesses. The trio express an interest in Bergman's idea and tell him to have Wigand call them. Meanwhile, Wigand receives death threats via email and finds a bullet in his mailbox, prompting him to contact the
FBIThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency. The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
who, after subtly accusing him of being emotionally unbalanced, confiscate his computer for evidence. Enraged over the threats to his family, Wigand phones Bergman and demands to fly to
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and tape his testimony immediately. During Wigand's interview with Wallace, Wigand states that Brown & Williamson is making their cigarettes more adictive. He continues by saying Brown & Williamson have consciously ignored public health considerations in the name of profit.
In Louisville, Wigand begins his new teaching job and talks to Richard Scruggs. Upon returning home, Wigand discovers that Bergman has given him some security personnel. Wigand's wife is struggling under the pressure and tells him so. Days later, Wigand travels to
Pascagoula, MississippiPascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
, where he receives a restraining order issued by the State of
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
to prevent him from testifying. Though the restraining order, obtained by Brown & Williamson's lawyers, was thrown out in Mississippi, Wigand is told that if he testifies and returns to Kentucky he could be imprisoned. After a lengthy period of introspection, Wigand goes to court and gives his deposition, during which he says nicotine acts as a drug. Following his testimony, Wigand returns to Louisville, where he discovers that his wife and children have left him.
At this point the film shifts its emphasis from Wigand to Bergman. Bergman and Wallace go to a meeting with CBS Corporate about the Wigand interview. A legal concept has emerged, known as
tortious interferenceTortious interference, in the common law of tort, occurs when a person intentionally damages the plaintiff's contractual or other business relationships...
. If two parties have an agreement, such as a confidentiality agreement, and one of those parties is induced by a third party to break that agreement, the third party can be sued by the other parties for any damages. It is revealed that the more truth Wigand tells, the greater the damage, and a greater likelihood that CBS will be faced by a multi-billion dollar lawsuit from Brown & Williamson. It is later suggested that an edited interview take the place of the original. Bergman vehemently disagrees, and claims that the reason CBS Corporate is leaning on CBS News to edit the interview is because they fear that the prospect of a multi-billion dollar lawsuit could jeopardize the sale of CBS to Westinghouse. Wallace and
Don HewittDonald Shepard Hewitt was an American television news producer and executive, best known for creating 60 Minutes, the CBS television news magazine in 1968, which at the time of his death, was the longest-running prime-time broadcast on American television...
agree to edit the interview, leaving Bergman alone in the stance of airing it uncensored.
A PR firm hired by Big Tobacco initiates a
smear campaignA smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...
against Wigand, dredging up details about his life and publishing a 500-page
dossierA dossier is typically a briefing paper based on an individual of interest in police or intelligence circles. They generally contain a relevant biography, most current information on activities and any special information of interest to the agency, such as having training in various specialized...
. Through Wigand, Bergman discovers that Big Tobacco has distorted and exaggerated numerous claims, and convinces a reporter from the
Wall Street Journal to delay the story until it can be disproven. Bergman contacts several private investigators who do begin their own investigation. Bergman releases his findings to the
Wall Street Journal reporter and tells him to push the deadline. Meanwhile, due to his constant fights with CBS management, Bergman is ordered to go on vacation.
Soon after, the edited interview is broadcast. After telling Wallace bluntly over the phone what he thought of the news broadcast, Bergman attempts to call Wigand at his hotel but receives no answer. He instead calls the hotel manager, who opens Wigand's door but is stopped by the deadbolt. Peering into Wigand's room, the hotel manager spies Wigand sitting alone, lost in a daydream about the idyllic life he could have led without his testimony. Per Bergman's request, the hotel manager convinces Wigand to accept Bergman's phone call. Wigand screams at Bergman, accusing him of manipulating him into his position. Bergman tells Wigand that he is important to a lot of people and that
heroA hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
es like him are in short supply. After hanging up, Bergman contacts the
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
and reveals the scandal that occurred at
60 Minutes, after which the
Times publishes a scathing article. Meanwhile,
The Wall Street Journal exonerates Wigand and reveals his deposition in Mississippi, while condemning Big Tobacco's 500-page smear as 'the lowest form of character assassination'.
60 Minutes finally broadcasts the full interview with Wigand.
In the final scene, Bergman talks to Wallace and he tells him that he is quitting saying, 'What got broken here doesn't go back together again'. The final shot is of him leaving the building. A series of title cards appear stating that a $246 billion settlement was made by tobacco companies with Mississippi and other States in their lawsuit and that Wigand lives in South Carolina. In 1996, Dr. Wigand won the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year award, receiving national recognition for his teaching skills. Lowell Bergman works for the PBS show
Frontline and teaches at the Graduate School of Journalism at the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines...
.
Production
When Mann was in post-production on
Heat, Bergman was going through the events depicted in
The Insider. Bergman discussed his trials and tribulations with Mann. The director knew of Bergman's reputation as a man of his word and was intrigued. They had met in 1989 and talked about a few projects but nothing happened. Over the years, the two men kept in touch, talking about Bergman's experiences and at one point Mann was interested in doing a movie on an arms merchant in
MarbellaMarbella is a city in Andalusia, Spain, by the Mediterranean, situated in the province of Málaga, beneath La Concha. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234....
that Bergman knew. Mann first conceived of what would become
The Insider (then known only as "The Untitled Tobacco Project") between the Wigand-lite aired interview in November 1995 and February 1996, when the segment aired in its entirety and Bergman was asked to leave
60 Minutes.
With a budget set at $68 million, Mann began collecting a massive amount of documents to research the events depicted in the film: depositions, news reports and
60 Minutes transcripts. He had read a screenplay that
Eric RothEric Roth is an American screenwriter. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump . He also co-wrote the screenplay for Michael Mann's The Insider and for the Steven Spielberg film Munich ....
had written, called
The Good ShepherdThe Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, with an extensive supporting cast. Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the...
, about the first 25 years of the
Central Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government.It is an independent agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior United States policymakers....
. Based on this script, Mann approached Roth to help him co-write
The Insider. Mann and Roth wrote several outlines together and talked about the structure of the story. Roth interviewed Bergman numerous times for research and the two men became friends. After he and Mann wrote the first draft together, at the bar at the Broadway Deli in Santa Monica, Roth met Wigand. The whistle blower was still under his confidentiality agreement and would not break it for Roth or Mann. Roth remembered his first impressions of Wigand were that he came across as unlikable and defensive. As they continued to write more drafts, the two men made minor adjustments in chronology and invented some extraneous dialogue but also stuck strictly to the facts whenever possible. However, Mann and Roth were not interested in making a documentary.
Val KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a role in Top Gun and a lead role...
was considered by Mann for the role of Jeffrey Wigand. Producer Pieter Jan Brugge suggested Russell Crowe and after seeing him in
L.A. Confidential, Mann flew Crowe down from
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where he was in the middle of filming
Mystery, AlaskaMystery, Alaska is a 1999 drama directed by Jay Roach about a fictional small-town ice hockey team that plays a game against the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League.-Cast:*Russell Crowe – Sheriff John Biebe*Hank Azaria – Charles Danner...
on the actor's one day off and had him read scenes from
The Insider screenplay for two to three hours. When Crowe read the scene where Wigand finds out that the
60 Minutes interview he did will not be aired, he captured the essence of Wigand so well that Mann knew he had found the perfect actor for the role. Crowe, who was only 33 years old at the time, was apprehensive at playing someone much older than himself when there were so many good actors in that age range. Once Crowe was cast, he and Mann spent six weeks together before shooting began, talking about his character and his props, clothes and accessories. Crowe put on 35 pounds for the role, shaved back his hairline, bleached his hair seven times and had a daily application of wrinkles and liver spots to his skin to transform himself into Wigand (who was in his early-to-mid 50's during the events depicted in the film). Crowe was not able to talk to Wigand about his experiences because he was still bound to his confidentiality agreement during much of film's development period. To get a handle on the man’s voice and how he talked, Crowe listened repeatedly to a six-hour tape of Wigand.
Al Pacino was Mann's only choice to play Lowell Bergman. He wanted to see the actor play a role that he had never seen him do in a movie before. Pacino, who had worked with Mann previously in
Heat, was more than willing to take on the role. To research for the film, Mann and Pacino hung out with reporters from
TimeTime is an American newsmagazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong. As of 2009, Time no longer publishes a Canadian advertiser edition...
magazine, spent time with
ABC NewsABC News is a division of American television network ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company. Its current president is David Westin.-Current programs:* America This Morning* Good Morning America* Good Morning America Weekend Edition...
and Pacino actually met Bergman to help get in character.
Pacino suggested Mann to cast Christopher Plummer in the role of
Mike WallaceMyron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist. Wallace has been a correspondent for CBS' 60 Minutes since its debut in 1968...
. Pacino had seen the veteran actor on the stage many times and was a big fan of Plummer's work. Mann had also wanted to work with Plummer since the 1970s. Pacino told Mann to watch Plummer in
Sidney LumetSidney Lumet is an American film director, with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men , Serpico , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict , all of which, except for Serpico , earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.According to The Encyclopedia of Hollywood,...
's
Stage Struck (1958) and afterwards he was the director's only choice to play Wallace—Plummer did not have to audition. He met with Mann and after several discussions was cast in the film.
Wigand requested a ban on cigarettes in the film. However, as the character Wigand enters the airport, shortly before receiving his
subpoenaA subpoena is a writ issued by a court that commands the presence of a witness to testify, under a penalty for failure.Subpoenas are associated with common law legal systems.There are two common types of subpoena:...
, a woman in the background is seen smoking a cigarette, also, a
LebaneseLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
soldier seen smoking briefly while Bergman is being transported to the
HezbollahHezbollah is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon. Hezbollah is now also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics...
meeting site.
The courtroom where Wigand gives his deposition is not a set. The filmmakers used the actual courtroom in
Pascagoula, MississippiPascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
where the real Wigand's deposition was given.
The man playing Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore is not an actor. Moore plays himself.
During a scene where Pacino and Crowe are speaking in a parked car, a large clockface can be seen in the background. This is actually the
Colgate ClockThe Colgate Clock, located at a Colgate-Palmolive factory in Clarksville, Indiana, is one of the largest clocks in the world. It has a diameter of 40 feet . It was first illuminated in Clarksville on November 17, 1924. It is located directly across from Louisville, Kentucky.Before the factory was...
, located on the facade of the Colgate factory in
Clarksville, IndianaClarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River as a part of the Louisville Metropolitan area. The population was 21,400 at the 2000 United States Census. The town, once a home site to George Rogers Clark, was founded in 1783 and is the oldest American town in the Northwest...
, directly across the
Ohio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
from
Louisville, KentuckyLouisville is Kentucky's largest city and county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's estimated population as of 2008 was 713,877 , with a population of 1,244,696 in the Louisville...
, where the majority of the film was shot.
Controversy
Trouble began before
The Insider was even released.
Don HewittDonald Shepard Hewitt was an American television news producer and executive, best known for creating 60 Minutes, the CBS television news magazine in 1968, which at the time of his death, was the longest-running prime-time broadcast on American television...
and Wallace accused Mann of extreme dramatic license and working with Bergman to transform him into a hero at the expense of the two men. They also said that Bergman negotiated a movie deal with Mann while the case was still going on. They claimed that Bergman was frequently on the phone with Mann and took notes during all CBS meetings.
Wallace, in particular, was upset that the film would not portray him in the most flattering way. He had read an early draft of the screenplay and objected to how quickly he changed his mind and publicly criticized CBS. Mann and Roth agreed to make some changes. Despite revisions, Wallace continued to voice his concerns in the
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
and
Brill's Content that he would be portrayed unfairly in the movie.
After
The Insider was released, Brown and Williamson accused the Walt Disney Company of distorting the truth. They took out a full-page ad in
The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an English-language international daily newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, in New York City, with Asian and European editions. As of 2007, it has a worldwide daily circulation of more than 2 million, with approximately 931,000...
to counter promotional appearances Wigand and those associated with the film were doing. The tobacco company also had representatives at screenings in eight cities handing out cards asking patrons to call a toll-free number that would answer questions about the film.
Brown and Williamson sent at least one cautionary letter to Disney concerning
The Insider without having seen the film. Their problems with the movie came from two scenes: one where Wigand finds a bullet in his mailbox with a threatening note and a scene where Wigand is trailed by a menacing figure at a golf range. Wigand actually reported the first event, while Mann has acknowledged that the second scene was in fact fictional and created for dramatic effect, although according to the
Vanity FairVanity Fair is an American Hollywood magazine of pop culture, fashion, and politics published by Condé Nast Publications. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1981 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition...
article on which the movie is based, there were other death threats on Wigand not detailed in the movie.
Reaction
The Insider received near-unanimous praise, garnering some of the best reviews of 1999 and of Michael Mann's career. It holds a 96% "fresh" rating at
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical cliché of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad.- History :...
based on 127 reviews.
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel...
of the
Chicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group, which filed for bankruptcy protection on March 31, 2009.-History:...
gave the film three and half out of four stars and praised "its power to absorb, entertain and anger."
Janet MaslinJanet Maslin is an American journalist. She is best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times.-Personal:Maslin graduated from the University of Rochester in 1970, with a B.A. degree and a major in mathematics . She was once married to record producer Jon Landau...
of
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
praised Russell Crowe as "a subtle powerhouse in his wrenching evocation of Wigand, takes on the thick, stolid look of the man he portrays," and felt that it was "by far Mann's most fully realized and enthralling work."
Peter TraversPeter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
from
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine wrote, "With its dynamite performances, strafing wit and dramatic provocation, The Insider offers Mann at his best - blood up, unsanitized and unbowed." Critic Andrew O'Hehir in his review for
Salon felt that the film "isn't just beautiful to watch on an epic scale, it expertly builds tension by integrating an electronic score by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard and the terrific editing work of
William GoldenbergWilliam Goldenberg is a film editor with more than twenty credits since 1992. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing for the films Seabiscuit and The Insider...
,
David RosenbloomDavid Rosenbloom is a film and television editor with more than 20 film credits, as well as many television editing and directing credits. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing and the American Cinema Editors "Eddie" for The Insider ....
and
Paul RubellPaul Rubell is a multi-award-winning film editor. His career spans 25 years in both film and television.Rubell obtained his bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. Rubell worked for a time with editor Lou Lombardo. His first editing credit was for the...
."
Awards
Christopher Plummer won awards from the
Boston Society of Film CriticsThe Boston Society of Film Critics is an organization of film reviewers from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, based publications.The BSFC was formed in 1981 to make "Boston's unique critical perspective heard on a national and international level by awarding commendations to the best of the...
, the
Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association was founded in 1975. Its main purpose is to present yearly awards to members of the film industry who have excelled in their fields. These awards are presented each January...
and the
National Society of Film CriticsThe National Society of Film Critics or NSFC is an American film critic organization. The NSFC currently consists of approximately 60 members who write for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers as of December 2007.-History:...
for his performance as
Mike WallaceMichael Wallace may refer to:*Mike Wallace , television correspondent**The Mike Wallace Interview, his TV series*Mike Wallace , American historian*Mike Wallace , race car driver...
. Russell Crowe won multiple awards for his role, including the
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorThe Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.-List of winners and nominees:*1995: Kevin Bacon - Murder in the First...
, the London Film Critics' Circle Award, the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:...
, and the
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorThe National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor is an annual award given by the National Society of Film Critics to honour the best leading actor of the year.-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:...
, among many others. In 2006, Premiere ranked Crowe's performance #23 of the 100 Greatest Performances of All Time. Eric Roth and Michael Mann won the
Humanitas PrizeThe is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious cinema or TV...
in the Feature Film category in 2000.
The film was nominated in 2000 for seven
Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
, winning none, including Best Picture,
Best DirectorBest Director may refer to:* Academy Award for Best Director, the Oscar* Golden Globe Award for Best Director* Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series* Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series...
, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Crowe.
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $6,712,361 playing in 1,809 theaters with a $3,710 average. As of August 16, 2006, the film has grossed a total of $60,289,912 worldwide (Canada and the United States: $29,089,912; Overseas: $31,200,000).
Track listing
- "Tempest" – Lisa Gerrard
Lisa Gerrard is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with former music partner Brendan Perry....
& Pieter BourkePieter Bourke is an Australian percussionist, composer, and audio engineer. He has collaborated with Dead Can Dance, and recorded material with ex-Dead Can Dance Lisa Gerrard. He also collaborated with Australian musician David Thrussell , first as part of the latter's band Snog, then just the two...
– 2:51 (from their "Duality" album)
- "Dawn of the Truth" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 1:59
- "Sacrifice" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 7:41 (from their "Duality" album)
- "The Subordinate" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 1:17
- "Exile" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 1:39
- "The Silencer" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 1:38
- "Broken" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 2:03
- "Faith" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 3:01
- "I'm Alone on This" – Graeme Revell
Graeme Revell is a composer of film music.Revell is a classically trained pianist and French horn player, but also graduated from the University of Auckland with degrees in economics and political science. He worked as a regional planner in Australia and Indonesia and as an orderly in an...
– 2:02
- "LB in Montana" – Graeme Revell – 0:50
- "Palladino Montage" – Graeme Revell – 0:45
- "Iguazu" – Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo A. Santaolalla is a Argentine musician, film composer and producer.-Biography:Santaolalla's professional music career began in 1967, when he co-founded the group Arco Iris, an Argentine band that pioneered the fusion of rock and Latin American folk as part of 'rock nacional'...
– 3:12
- "Liquid Moon" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 4:05
- "Rites (special edit for the film)" – Jan Garbarek
Jan Garbarek is a Norwegian tenor and soprano saxophonist, active in the jazz, classical, and world music genres. Garbarek was the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war Czeslaw Garbarek and a Norwegian farmer's daughter...
– 5:34
- "Safe from Harm (Perfecto Mix)" – Massive Attack
Massive Attack are a British music duo from Bristol, UK, considered to be progenitors of a genre referred to as trip hop, that assemble a collective of various favoured session musicians and guest vocalists with whom they make records and tour live...
– 8:14
- "Meltdown" – Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke – 5:40
Other music in the film
- "Uotaaref Men Elihabek" – Casbah Orchestra
- "Suffocate", "Hot Shots" and "Night Stop" – Curt Sobel
- "Litany" – Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer. Pärt works in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabulation and hypnotic repetitions influenced by the intellectual counterpoint elements of European jazz, and is generally placed within European-American classical post-modernism.He was born in...
- "Smokey Mountain Waltz" – Richard Gilks
- "Armenia" – Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German avant-garde music band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N. U...
- "Two or Three Things" – David Darling
David Darling is an American cellist and composer. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Bobby McFerrin and Spyro Gyra in addition to putting out several solo and small ensemble albums as well as albums of his compositions....
See also
- 60 Minutes Brown & Williamson controversy
- Jeffrey Wigand
Dr. Jeffrey S. Wigand is a former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-harm cigarettes...
- Lowell Bergman
Lowell A. Bergman is an American investigative reporter with The New York Times and a producer/correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. Mr...
External links