The Insider

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Michael Mann

Producer:

Michael Mann, Pieter Jan Brugge

Release Date:

Nov 5, 1999

Runtime:

2hr 37m

Synopsis

A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.

Cast

  • Al Pacino
  • Russell Crowe
  • Christopher Plummer
  • Diane Venora
  • Philip Baker Hall
  • Lindsay Crouse
  • Debi Mazar
  • Stephen Tobolowsky
  • Colm Feore
  • Bruce McGill

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.1
218.3K
72.1K
60.2K
RATINGS 941 FANS
4.1
  • May 5, 2019

    Ordinary people under extraordinary pressure, Mike. What the hell do you expect? Grace and consistency?

    4.9K Likes
    David Sims
    David Sims
    Jan 10, 2019

    "Maybe things have changed." "What's changed?" "You mean since this morning?" "No, I mean since whenever." Corporate interests have never (and will never) not come at the expense of our own, and here Mann richly dramatizes the crushing pressures, lasting damages, and…

    2.9K Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis

    Thrilling, beautiful, moving, a modern masterpiece about the real heroes who made cigarettes even better and funner to smoke.

    1.9K Likes
    Will Menaker
    Will Menaker
  •
    Apr 9, 2023

    I actually just rewatched all of Christopher Plummer’s scenes, which comprise The Greatest Acting of All Time.

    937 Likes
    Adam Nayman
    Adam Nayman
    May 12, 2024

    I would take every second of Plummer’s screen time to a desert island

    821 Likes
    Adam Nayman
    Adam Nayman
    Jan 4, 2023

    No that's fame. Fame has a fifteen minute half-life, infamy lasts a little longer.

    608 Likes
    Joe A
    Joe A
  •
    Dec 26, 2015

    Corporations as infections.

    608 Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Apr 25, 2022

    is it a five star picture? i don’t know. it’s hard to say what i think is a 5 star picture anymore. but it’s certainly a 5 in my heart. rarely do you see this kind of nobility displayed in a film. so when you finally see it, it moves you greatly.  happy 82nd birthday to al…

    513 Likes
    Robert Franco
    Robert Franco
    Aug 12, 2026

    To a network, probably, we're all commodities. To me? You are not a commodity. What you are is important.

    489 Likes
    Sethsreviews
    Sethsreviews

Queue Community Reviews

93%
Community 3,139
❤️ LOVE
25%
👍 LIKE
68%
😐 MEH
5%
👎 DISLIKE
2%
Top Reviews
  • Ellis
    Ellis loved
    The Insider

    SO GOOD!!! I love 60 minutes, I love a good exposé, and I love Al Pacino, what more could I want. Big wacky tobacy 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️ they’ll try to get you. Crazy crazy stuff.

    1 1Y
    Carson Withers
    Carson Withers loved
    The Insider

    It may just be the academy museum but this is like the greatest

    👀 1 1Y
    Jollfoogfl
    Jollfoogfl liked
    The Insider

    Pretty great movie overall. It has all the aspects of an incredible classic but falls short in a couple of aspects but I think that’s only because it’s mostly based on a true story so it doesnt have those big Hollywood moments like something actually happening to his family. Al Pacino did…

    1Y
  • cassius casanova
    cassius casanova liked
    The Insider

    important film to watch to remind you how corrupt media companies and big corporations are. they were always that way and they always will. greed and ego ruin innocent people’s lives every single day. sad movie, sadder world we live in

    1Y
    James New
    James New liked
    The Insider

    Pretty solid film, reminded me a lot of Spotlight although that should be the other way around. Crowe and Pacino are both very good but Plummer is just brilliant for the short amount of time he’s on screen

    2Y
    James
    James liked
    The Insider

    Good film. Al Pacino is brilliant and so is Russell Crowe. Really wish they focused more on Crowe. For a long slow burning film it really is gripping and entertaining throughout.

    2Y
  • Matthew Golad
    Matthew Golad liked
    The Insider

    Really really good. Love these types of movies. All The Presidents Men, Spotlight. Glad I finally checked it out. The Blu-ray looked great.

    7M
    Nothuman
    Nothuman liked
    The Insider

    Great acting with an engaging story, first half is a little bit slow at times but the back half was really thought provoking

    1Y
    Steven Erick
    Steven Erick liked
    The Insider

    Spoiler Alert (not really) - CBS has been dying long before Bari Weiss came along. 3/5

    4M

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

85
metacritic
Based on 34 Critics
8.3

USER SCORE (184)

Universal acclaim based on 184 Reviews
88

Power to absorb, entertain and anger.

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
90

A dead-on tale of corporate power, courage, cowardice and how we live.

Metacritic review by Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
88

At its best, hard-hitting grown-up cinema (rare these days) and a movie blessed with a villain (Big Tobacco) for which all gloves can be removed and heaved into the next county.

Metacritic review by Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Insider (1999) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is The Insider (1999)?
The movie is 2hr 37min long.
What's The Insider (1999) about?
A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.
Who's the cast of The Insider (1999)?
  • Al Pacino as Lowell Bergman
  • Russell Crowe as Jeffrey Wigand
  • Christopher Plummer as Mike Wallace
  • Diane Venora as Liane Wigand
  • Philip Baker Hall as Don Hewitt
  • Lindsay Crouse as Sharon Tiller
  • Debi Mazar as Debbie De Luca
  • Stephen Tobolowsky as Eric Kluster
  • Colm Feore as Richard Scruggs
  • Bruce McGill as Ron Motley
Who's the director behind The Insider (1999)?
Michael Mann directed The Insider (1999).
Who produced The Insider (1999)?
Michael Mann and Pieter Jan Brugge produced The Insider (1999).