The Insider is a very, very good movie. I went in both knowing exactly what to expect and not knowing what to expect at all. I knew what to expect because in producing this subject matter director Michael Mann (Heat, Last of the Mohicans) optioned the Vanity Fair magazine article "The Man Who Knew Too Much," which had already gained a fair amount of public attention for it's timely attacks on Big Tobacco as well as having the credible support of the 60 Minutes news magazine. Mann also produced a story that is five years old and one that provides few surprises for anyone who pays any attention to the real life mega-conglomerate manipulation that happens every day. I had NO idea what to expect artistically, as I hadn't seen many of Mann's films and didn't much care for his TV series Miami Vice. Even though I'm a big fan of actor Russell Crowe (L.A. Confidential), the lead role of Jeffrey Wigand is a big stretch for him. And Al Pacino lately has become such a blow-hard parody of himself that he has managed to do more overacting and flopping about than a first year junior college theatre student. Fortunately for me and my eight bucks, both concerns were absolutely obliterated within the first few scenes.

This is primarily the story of Jeffery Wigand (Crowe), the former chief of R&D for the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company who, in 1995, was fired by his old employer for reasons that are typically ambiguous when it comes to these matters, as handled by mega-scale corporate figureheads. Wignad is originally approached by 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Pacino) to help translate some tobacco-related technical information that is anonymously dropped in his inbox. This information, it turns out, is the tip of the iceberg, and we?re off and running into a myriad of legal posturing, big business executive chest thumping, and an absolutely hilarious rendering of a self-aggrandizing, loud-mouthed Mike Wallace, who is played to perfection by Christopher Plummer (Twelve Monkeys, The Sound Of Music).

Ultimately, though, this story is not so much about Big Tobacco, CBS or 60 Minutes as it is two big heroes and two bigger villains and just how much the human spirit will withstand in the name of truth and what's right. The primary hero here is Wigand, who watches his whole life spiral down the tubes under pressure of death threats, overt misrepresentation in the media to the public, and covert manipulation by shadowy figures in dark shoes that leave muddy footprints. Through all of this he stands up, albeit barely at times, for what he knows to be true and for the safety of the consumers of the world. Pacino plays the part of Bergman just as effectively in a restrained, almost subdued manner for most of the film, only to turn on the power exactly when called for. The Bergman character finds himself cornered by every power in the game at one point, questioning what exactly he?s in it for, anyway.

Artistically, Mann does an exceptional job of approaching an old story from interesting angles and getting to the core of the human issues at hand as they play out within the corporate arena, without too much beating of a too dead horse. He gives us interesting mechanisms for judging the passages of time throughout the development of the story, as well as effectively establishing subtle references for dates and times (watch the headlines of newspapers). He did an exceptional job of directing Crowe in what is probably the best performance of his career, as well as keeping Pacino within the boundaries necessary to support, instead of lead. As character assassin, Mann took aim at just about every loathsome real-life personality to the point that most of the advance press for this film is filled with the denials, disclaimers and rebuttals typical of those who just had all their dirty laundry tossed off the stoop and onto an unsuspecting, but not surprised public. Brown and Williamson, after all, deny there was ever any death threat.

The epilogue to this film is the "where are they now" text that appears on-screen at the end of the movie. The real-life Wigand and Bergman have gone on to more productive pursuits as teachers. Wigand has also become one among many chief experts in several anti-tobacco lawsuits. CBS and 60 Minutes wound up being gobbled up by Westinghouse after all and, well, we all know where to find Mike Wallace.

The Insider has something for almost everyone: Conspiracy Theorists, Film Heads, [Mike] Wallace-haters, Anti-Tobacco activists, and plain old fans of really good stories will all like this one a lot. And, for those of us who are more than one of the above, it?s definitely a film to see.

Andy Walton lives in Los Angeles where he works for a publishing firm and laughs loudly at the mania that is the film industry.

Got a problem? Email Andy at filmmonthly@hotmail.com