Given the way this year or decade is going in terms of news wise. I've been reminded of a underappreciative film by Michael Mann on what the bad mixture of business and reporting the news moreover why it never in a million years goes well, when it comes to reporting the truth. The movie I'm referring to is the Insider, based on actual events surrounding the Brown & Williamson Tobacco industry with Dr. Jeffery Wigand coming out about the dangers in the Tobacco ingredients. Amazingly this film was actually my first introduction of the names Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, though at the time I wasn't old enough to see this movie, but with cable TV like Dish Network being a thing in the late 90's Dish on Demand previews became my thing. Of course, I watched this movie whole a long time ago, but now with the way I'm viewing news today, I personally, in a sense was inspired by this movie in a way of making this my March Recommendation. For those who haven't seen the Insider the main story behind it really shows a good sense along with choices you have to make when it comes to bringing the truth to life much less having to live with the consequences in the aftermath.
After being fired by B&W, Dr. Jeffery Wigand (Russell Crowe) is later feeling threatened by B&W when they coerce him into signing a more restrictive agreement with the assumption that in worry of Wigand revealing secrets of B&W. CBS producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) is intrigued by Wigand because he believes he has something to say but doesn't want to reveal for many reason's due to trying to provide for his family. Both men go on in epic journey of the pair's jobs both on the line when both corporations including CBS to shut down the story, for reasons that it would bring more trouble along the way.
For anyone whose interest in wanting to go into journalism, this is one of the many films I would highly recommend to watch, the other is Good Night and Good Luck but this film I would say explores more aspects of being a newsperson or a living soul of business. And sure you may believe only you can deliver the truth or news worthy stories that need to be told but there'd be times when cooperate will sometime interfere with those kinds of stories or for a better example they'll screw you big time then throw the source who risked everything, next to a bus so he can be left for dead, and I personally think that a movie like this should defiantly be seen by younger generation so they know at least what they'll have to for see, in future's to come. Also, I really believe that this is a kind of film that needs to be seen, in terms of a wakeup call with all that is going on with the capital riots and the so-called rigged voting. Now all that said and done, film wise this is without a doubt one of the best movies about journalism, along with Good Night and Good luck, but what makes this film amazing is that you have great and powerful performances from Al Pacino, an up and coming talent out of Russell Crowe moreover the late great Christopher Plummer, and sure Plummer does a fantastic job playing Mike Wallace but both Al Pacino and Russell Crowe really steal the stoplight in this film, I always looked at both performances as Russell Crowe being the true hero in this film and Pacino being the lone hero who does whatever it takes to bring the story to light. Crowe does a grand job playing a man whose afraid to do the right thing despite the fact that this might destroy his own family moreover his ability to provide for them, but he still continues to go on the record because he believes it’s the right thing to do. And so, Crowe really does a great job portraying that fear and intensity throughout the entire film and personally this was in a sense the role that made him for a lifetime to be honest. Pacino on the other hand I have to rank this movie in one of his top five best performances on film, though I only look at it in ways of him not over doing it or going nuts, and keep in mind there's a lot of his performances where he's really over doing it, in terms of method acting but this is one of the many films where he does a great job helping being the one true supporter in Crowe's character also fighting his own battles with cooperate with bringing the truth to light even if it means betraying everything he stands for as a journalist. The late great Christopher Plummer does a great job portraying Wallace throughout the film and he does it in the best way possible especially in scenes where he stands alone standing up to cooperate in one scene where they cut most of his interview. Now for the architect of the Insider, director Michael Mann. Mann is most known for his film Heat but this film alone I do say does a great job in bringing a story that was based on true events several years prior to the film’s release but also make it, in the most realistic but dramatize the film, in a good way that you'll root for both men at the end of the film. I haven't seen a whole lot of Mann's film but if I had to make a list of his best films it would defiantly be Heat, The Insider and possibly Collateral deepens because I haven't seen Collateral in a while. Yes, this film isn't really a St. Patrick's Day type movie to recommend in March, though let's be honest it’s hard to recommend great Irish film, but the bottom line is that this is a standalone film I believe needs to be seen, due to the insanity that has happened the past few months, so if you’re a fan of the news or love to blog about how fake the news is. Or you want to study journalism when you grow up then I would highly recommend sitting down and watching the Insider.
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