The Insider
The movie
· Summary
o Movie Info
§ The Insider tells the true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the seven major tobacco companies knew (and concealed) about the dangers of their product. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm, Brown and Williamson. Not long after he was fired by Brown and Williamson, Wigand came into contact with Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Wallace (played here by Christopher Plummer). Bergman arranged for Wigand to be interviewed by Wallace for a 60 Minutes expose on the cigarette industry, though Wigand was still bound by a confidentiality agreement not to discuss his employment with the company. Despite Wigand's willingness to talk, CBS pulled his interview from at the last minute after Brown and Williamson threatened a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. The staff of 60 Minutes and CBS News were soon embroiled in an internal struggle over the killing of the story, and Wigand found himself the subject of lawsuits and a smear campaign, without his full story reaching the public. The Insider was directed by Michael Mann and also features Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Debi Mazar, Colm Feore, and Rip Torn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
SYNOPSIS
§ In Lebanon, Hezbollah militants escort producer Lowell Bergman (Pacino) to Hezbollah founder Sheikh Fadlallah, where Lowell convinces him to be interviewed by Mike Wallace (Plummer) for CBS show 60 Minutes. In Louisville, Kentucky, Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) packs his belongings and leaves his Brown and Williamson 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 Berkeley, California, Bergman receives an anonymous package containing documents relating to tobacco company Philip Morris, and approaches a friend at the FDA for the name of a translator. 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 Hotel in Louisville. In the privacy of their hotel room, 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 and Williamson CEO 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 and Williamson. Reassured, Wigand talks to Bergman about the seven CEOs of 'Big Tobacco' perjuring themselves to the United States Congress about their awareness of nicotine's addictiveness, and that the CEOs should fear Wigand. Bergman says Wigand has to decide himself whether to blow the whistle on big tobacco. Bergman returns to CBS Headquarters in New York City, 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 and Williamson should he do an interview for 60 Minutes.
The Wigand family move into a newer, more affordable house, and Wigand begins teaching chemistry and Japanese 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 Scruggs (Feore) and Ron Motley (McGill), who with Mississippi's attorney general Mike Moore are suing Big Tobacco to reimburse the state for Medicaid 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 FBI, who after subtly accusing him of emotional imbalance confiscate his computer for evidence. Enraged over the threats to his family, Wigand phones Bergman and demands that to fly to New York and tape his testimony immediately. During Wigand's interview with Wallace, Wigand states that Brown and Williamson manipulated nicotine through ammonia chemistry to allow nicotine to be more rapidly absorbed in the lungs and therefore affect the brain and central nervous system through impact boosting. He continues by saying Brown and 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 Mississippi, where he receives a restraining order issued by the State of Kentucky to prevent him from testifying. Though the restraining order, issued by Brown and 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 interference. 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 party can be sued by the other party 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 and 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 Hewitt 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 campaign against Wigand, dredging up details about his life and publishing a 500-page dossier. 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. 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 commands, 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 heroes like him are in short supply. After hanging up, Bergman contacts the The New York Times and reveals the scandal that occurred at 60 Minutes, causing the New York Times to release 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's 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 the $246 billion settlement that big tobacco made with Mississippi and other States in their lawsuit, 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, Berkeley.
Returning home to Berkeley, California, Bergman receives an anonymous package containing documents relating to tobacco company Philip Morris, and approaches a friend at the FDA for the name of a translator. 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 Hotel in Louisville. In the privacy of their hotel room, 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 and Williamson CEO 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 and Williamson. Reassured, Wigand talks to Bergman about the seven CEOs of 'Big Tobacco' perjuring themselves to the United States Congress about their awareness of nicotine's addictiveness, and that the CEOs should fear Wigand. Bergman says Wigand has to decide himself whether to blow the whistle on big tobacco. Bergman returns to CBS Headquarters in New York City, 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 and Williamson should he do an interview for 60 Minutes.
The Wigand family move into a newer, more affordable house, and Wigand begins teaching chemistry and Japanese 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 Scruggs (Feore) and Ron Motley (McGill), who with Mississippi's attorney general Mike Moore are suing Big Tobacco to reimburse the state for Medicaid 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 FBI, who after subtly accusing him of emotional imbalance confiscate his computer for evidence. Enraged over the threats to his family, Wigand phones Bergman and demands that to fly to New York and tape his testimony immediately. During Wigand's interview with Wallace, Wigand states that Brown and Williamson manipulated nicotine through ammonia chemistry to allow nicotine to be more rapidly absorbed in the lungs and therefore affect the brain and central nervous system through impact boosting. He continues by saying Brown and 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 Mississippi, where he receives a restraining order issued by the State of Kentucky to prevent him from testifying. Though the restraining order, issued by Brown and 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 interference. 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 party can be sued by the other party 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 and 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 Hewitt 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 campaign against Wigand, dredging up details about his life and publishing a 500-page dossier. 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. 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 commands, 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 heroes like him are in short supply. After hanging up, Bergman contacts the The New York Times and reveals the scandal that occurred at 60 Minutes, causing the New York Times to release 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's 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 the $246 billion settlement that big tobacco made with Mississippi and other States in their lawsuit, 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, Berkeley.
· In Theaters: Nov 5, 1999 Wide
· On DVD: Apr 11, 2000
· Buena Vista Pictures
Cast
o The script
Awardso Academy Awards, USA Year ResultAward Category/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Oscar Best Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe
Best Cinematography
Dante Spinotti
Best Director
Michael Mann
Best Film Editing
William Goldenberg
Paul Rubell
David Rosenbloom
Best Picture
Michael Mann
Pieter Jan Brugge
Best Sound
Andy Nelson
Doug Hemphill
Lee Orloff
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
American Cinema Editors, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Eddie Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic
William Goldenberg
Paul Rubell
David Rosenbloom
American Society of Cinematographers, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated ASC Award Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
Dante Spinotti
BAFTA Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe
Bodil Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Nominated Bodil Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film)
Michael Mann (director)
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 Won BSFC Award Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Critics Choice Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Picture
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated CFCA Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
Directors Guild of America, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
Michael Mann
Empire Awards, UK YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Nominated Empire Award Best Director
Michael Mann
Golden Globes, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Golden Globe Best Director - Motion Picture
Michael Mann
Best Motion Picture - Drama
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Lisa Gerrard
Pieter Bourke
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Russell Crowe
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Humanitas Prize YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Humanitas Prize Feature Film Category
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Silver Ribbon Best Cinematography (Migliore Fotografia)
Dante Spinotti
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Sierra Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Michael Mann
Eric Roth
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
London Critics Circle Film Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Won ALFS Award Actor of the Year
Russell Crowe
Also for Gladiator (2000).
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 Won LAFCA Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Cinematography
Dante Spinotti
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
2nd place LAFCA Award Best Director
Michael Mann
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing - Dialogue & ADR
Gregg Baxter (supervising sound/dialogue/adr editor)
Gregory King (supervising sound/dialogue/adr editor)
Stephanie Flack (dialogue editor)
Mary Ruth Smith (dialogue editor)
Darren King (dialogue editor)
Nicholas Vincent Korda (adr editor)
Linda Folk (adr editor)
Best Sound Editing - Music (Foreign & Domestic)
Curt Sobel (supervising music editor/scoring editor)
Bob Badami (music editor)
Thomas Milano (music/scoring editor)
National Board of Review, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 Won Freedom of Expression Award Michael Mann
NBR Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won NSFC Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
New York Film Critics Circle Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 2nd place NYFCC Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
Online Film Critics Society Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated OFCS Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Director
Michael Mann
Best Film
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
PGA Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award Michael Mann
Pieter Jan Brugge
Political Film Society, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won PFS Award Democracy
Nominated PFS Award Exposé
Prism Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Prism Award Theatrical Feature Film
Robert Festival YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Nominated Robert Best American Film (Årets amerikanske film)
Michael Mann (director)
Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won SFFCC Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Director
Michael Mann
Best English Language Film
Satellite Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Golden Satellite Award Best Director
Michael Mann
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Nominated Golden Satellite Award Best Film Editing
William Goldenberg
Paul Rubell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Russell Crowe
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Al Pacino
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama
Christopher Plummer
Screen Actors Guild Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe
Writers Guild of America, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Paul Selvin Honorary Award Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Nominated WGA Award (Screen) Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
MOVIE REACTIONSRussell Crowe
Best Cinematography
Dante Spinotti
Best Director
Michael Mann
Best Film Editing
William Goldenberg
Paul Rubell
David Rosenbloom
Best Picture
Michael Mann
Pieter Jan Brugge
Best Sound
Andy Nelson
Doug Hemphill
Lee Orloff
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
American Cinema Editors, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Eddie Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic
William Goldenberg
Paul Rubell
David Rosenbloom
American Society of Cinematographers, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated ASC Award Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases
Dante Spinotti
BAFTA Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe
Bodil Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Nominated Bodil Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film)
Michael Mann (director)
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 Won BSFC Award Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Critics Choice Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Picture
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated CFCA Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
Directors Guild of America, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
Michael Mann
Empire Awards, UK YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Nominated Empire Award Best Director
Michael Mann
Golden Globes, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Golden Globe Best Director - Motion Picture
Michael Mann
Best Motion Picture - Drama
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Lisa Gerrard
Pieter Bourke
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Russell Crowe
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Humanitas Prize YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Humanitas Prize Feature Film Category
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Silver Ribbon Best Cinematography (Migliore Fotografia)
Dante Spinotti
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Sierra Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Michael Mann
Eric Roth
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
London Critics Circle Film Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Won ALFS Award Actor of the Year
Russell Crowe
Also for Gladiator (2000).
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 Won LAFCA Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Cinematography
Dante Spinotti
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
2nd place LAFCA Award Best Director
Michael Mann
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing - Dialogue & ADR
Gregg Baxter (supervising sound/dialogue/adr editor)
Gregory King (supervising sound/dialogue/adr editor)
Stephanie Flack (dialogue editor)
Mary Ruth Smith (dialogue editor)
Darren King (dialogue editor)
Nicholas Vincent Korda (adr editor)
Linda Folk (adr editor)
Best Sound Editing - Music (Foreign & Domestic)
Curt Sobel (supervising music editor/scoring editor)
Bob Badami (music editor)
Thomas Milano (music/scoring editor)
National Board of Review, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 Won Freedom of Expression Award Michael Mann
NBR Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won NSFC Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
New York Film Critics Circle Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 1999 2nd place NYFCC Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
Online Film Critics Society Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated OFCS Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Director
Michael Mann
Best Film
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer
PGA Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award Michael Mann
Pieter Jan Brugge
Political Film Society, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won PFS Award Democracy
Nominated PFS Award Exposé
Prism Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Prism Award Theatrical Feature Film
Robert Festival YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2001 Nominated Robert Best American Film (Årets amerikanske film)
Michael Mann (director)
Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won SFFCC Award Best Actor
Russell Crowe
Best Director
Michael Mann
Best English Language Film
Satellite Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Golden Satellite Award Best Director
Michael Mann
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Nominated Golden Satellite Award Best Film Editing
William Goldenberg
Paul Rubell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Russell Crowe
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Al Pacino
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama
Christopher Plummer
Screen Actors Guild Awards YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe
Writers Guild of America, USA YearResultAwardCategory/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Paul Selvin Honorary Award Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Nominated WGA Award (Screen) Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Eric Roth
Michael Mann
Box office
The Insider was released in 1,809 theaters on November 5, 1999 where it grossed a total of $6,712,361 on its opening weekend and ranked fourth in the country for that time period. It went on to make $29.1 million in North America and $31.2 million in the rest of the world for a total of $60.3 million worldwide, significantly lower than its $90 million budget.[2] The film was considered to be a commercial disappointment. Disney executives had hoped that Mann's film would have the same commercial and critical success as All the President's Men, a film in the same vein. However, The Insider had limited appeal to younger moviegoers (studio executives reportedly said the prime audience was over the age of 40.) and the subject matter was "not notably dramatic", according to marketing executives. Then-Disney chairman Joe Roth said, "It's like walking up a hill with a refrigerator on your back. The fact of the matter is we're really proud we did this movie. People say it's the best movie they've seen this year. They say, 'Why don't we make more movies like this?'"[3]
Critical response
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 Tomatoes based on 127 reviews[4] and an 84 metascore on Metacritic.[5] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and half out of four stars and praised "its power to absorb, entertain, and anger".[6] Newsweek magazine's David Ansen wrote, "Mann could probably make a movie about needlepoint riveting. Employing a big canvas, a huge cast of superb character actors and his always exquisite eye for composition, he's made the kind of current-events epic that Hollywood has largely abandoned to TV--and shows us how movies can do it better".[7] In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin 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".[8] Time magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, "When Crowe gets to command the screen, The Insider comes to roiled life. It's an All the President's Men in which Deep Throat takes center stage, an insider prodded to spill the truth".[9] Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Travers wrote, "With its dynamite performances, strafing wit and dramatic provocation, The Insider offers Mann at his best--blood up, unsanitized, and unbowed".[10] However, Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" rating and felt that it "a good but far from great movie because it presents truth telling in America as far more imperiled than it is".[11]Controversy
Trouble began before The Insider was even released. Don Hewitt 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 Times and Brill’s Content that he would be portrayed unfairly in the movie.[citation needed]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 Journal to counter promotional appearances Wigand and those associated with the film were doing.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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 Fair article on which the movie is based, there were other death threats on Wigand not detailed in the movie.
The Insider - Production Information
(from the official Press Kit)
Jeffrey Wigand (RUSSELL CROWE) was a central witness in the lawsuits filed by Mississippi and 49 other states against the tobacco industry which were eventually settled for $246 billion. Wigand, former head of research for Brown & Williamson, was a top scientist, the ultimate insider. No one like him had ever gone public before.
Meanwhile, Lowell Bergman (AL PACINO), investigative reporter and "60 Minutes" producer, mostly for Mike Wallace (CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER) segments, taped the famous Wigand interview with its devastating statements, and arranged a legal defense team for Wigand. However, before the most newsworthy "60 Minutes" segment in years could air, Bergman would lose to a CBS corporate decision to kill it and would experience the fracturing of loyalties and bitter divisions within "60 Minutes".
Wigand would find himself sued, targeted in a national smear campaign, divorced and facing possible incarceration. Wigand, having wagered so much and now unable to deliver his testimony to the American people, and Bergman trying to defeat the smear campaign and fighting to force CBS to air the interview, are two ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. They find themselves in a fight from which no one will emerge as he entered and nothing will be the same again.
About the Production
(from the official Press Kit)
Principal photography on "The Insider" commenced in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby and the Louisville Slugger Baseball Museum, where the historic Seelbach Hotel served as a key shooting location. A local bank building stood in for the site of Brown & Williamson's home office. The company also filmed in the suburban neighborhoods of Hurstbourne and Seneca park where Wigand lived, and at DuPont Manual High School, where he worked after leaving Brown & Williamson.
Returning to Los Angeles briefly for interior work, the company then proceeded to Big Bear Lake, using the rustic location to double for Montana where Bergman tracked the Unabomber story. The winter scene, shot in July, required artificial snow. Snow Business, a British company, spent two days covering the northern Grout Bay corner of Big Bear Lake with 15 tons of 99% biodegradable cellulose.
The production moved on to Berkley, California to shoot at a location down the street from Lowell Bergman's home. On its last night in the Bay area, the company crossed to San Francisco to shoot a meeting.
The film returned to Louisville, then went to Pascagoula, Mississippi. Pascagoula is known as the Flagship City of the Mississippi Gulf for its shipbuilding, petrochemical industry, and seafood industry.
Looking at the movie set in the temporary courtroom in Pascagoula, where the deposition actually took place, Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore was surprised by the attention to detail, both in the set and the depiction of courtroom activity. "There were about fifty or sixty tobacco lawyers piled up over there," he recalled, pointing to the far side of the room. "Some of them were actually smoking cigarettes, blowing smoke rings. They were the most arrogant bunch I've ever seen. But when we finally got the word that Jeffrey would give his deposition, I walked in and gave the signal. And all these guys went nuts."
Attorney General Moore appreciated director Mann's scope of knowledge on the issue and history of the case. When asked to play himself in the movie, Moore laughed, "I guess it does add a dose of reality. It was the most important thing I'll ever do as a lawyer, so I guess I saw it as a chance to have some fun and be a part of history again."
(from the official Press Kit)
Jeffrey Wigand (RUSSELL CROWE) was a central witness in the lawsuits filed by Mississippi and 49 other states against the tobacco industry which were eventually settled for $246 billion. Wigand, former head of research for Brown & Williamson, was a top scientist, the ultimate insider. No one like him had ever gone public before.
Meanwhile, Lowell Bergman (AL PACINO), investigative reporter and "60 Minutes" producer, mostly for Mike Wallace (CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER) segments, taped the famous Wigand interview with its devastating statements, and arranged a legal defense team for Wigand. However, before the most newsworthy "60 Minutes" segment in years could air, Bergman would lose to a CBS corporate decision to kill it and would experience the fracturing of loyalties and bitter divisions within "60 Minutes".
Wigand would find himself sued, targeted in a national smear campaign, divorced and facing possible incarceration. Wigand, having wagered so much and now unable to deliver his testimony to the American people, and Bergman trying to defeat the smear campaign and fighting to force CBS to air the interview, are two ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. They find themselves in a fight from which no one will emerge as he entered and nothing will be the same again.
About the Production
(from the official Press Kit)
Principal photography on "The Insider" commenced in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby and the Louisville Slugger Baseball Museum, where the historic Seelbach Hotel served as a key shooting location. A local bank building stood in for the site of Brown & Williamson's home office. The company also filmed in the suburban neighborhoods of Hurstbourne and Seneca park where Wigand lived, and at DuPont Manual High School, where he worked after leaving Brown & Williamson.
Returning to Los Angeles briefly for interior work, the company then proceeded to Big Bear Lake, using the rustic location to double for Montana where Bergman tracked the Unabomber story. The winter scene, shot in July, required artificial snow. Snow Business, a British company, spent two days covering the northern Grout Bay corner of Big Bear Lake with 15 tons of 99% biodegradable cellulose.
The production moved on to Berkley, California to shoot at a location down the street from Lowell Bergman's home. On its last night in the Bay area, the company crossed to San Francisco to shoot a meeting.
The film returned to Louisville, then went to Pascagoula, Mississippi. Pascagoula is known as the Flagship City of the Mississippi Gulf for its shipbuilding, petrochemical industry, and seafood industry.
Looking at the movie set in the temporary courtroom in Pascagoula, where the deposition actually took place, Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore was surprised by the attention to detail, both in the set and the depiction of courtroom activity. "There were about fifty or sixty tobacco lawyers piled up over there," he recalled, pointing to the far side of the room. "Some of them were actually smoking cigarettes, blowing smoke rings. They were the most arrogant bunch I've ever seen. But when we finally got the word that Jeffrey would give his deposition, I walked in and gave the signal. And all these guys went nuts."
Attorney General Moore appreciated director Mann's scope of knowledge on the issue and history of the case. When asked to play himself in the movie, Moore laughed, "I guess it does add a dose of reality. It was the most important thing I'll ever do as a lawyer, so I guess I saw it as a chance to have some fun and be a part of history again."
 l-r: Jeffrey Wigand, Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Lowell Bergman |
The company traveled to Mobile, Alabama to double for a night scene in New Orleans where Lowell covers another story while taking Jeffrey's call about receiving a death threat. A reduced company moved on to a secluded island in the Bahamas to shoot Bergman's forced vacation from "60 Minutes," with a brief interruption to evacuate from the path of Hurricane Bonnie. The production then went to New York to shoot New York City exteriors and interior CBS offices. Finally, the company traveled to Israel, which doubled for Lebanon in the opening scenes of the movie.
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