The Insider

The reliable Al Pacino is probably the only memorable thing in this film. I wasn't very interested in the theme from the tobacco industry, and Russell Crowe deserved his Oscar nomination only by his significant physical transformation, his performance here is rather bland. The result is a not very exciting, slightly tedious and emotionally bland film. (24/08/2003)

The film is precise in its form and content. That could be said about all of Michael Mann's works. That The Insider is no exception is probably no surprise to anyone. Michael Mann, with all his minimalism and almost theatrical atmosphere, unfolds a banal story about the anti-smoking battle between individuals and organized societies into a thematically grand and boundary-pushing drama. It’s an intense drama about people who are willing to sacrifice even fundamental values, such as family, for ideals they may not fully comprehend, but are upheld by society. In the cast, Mann once again demonstrated his penchant for transforming actors' images and breaking away from established stereotypes. This time, Russell Crowe became the "victim," and although his gray-dyed head doesn't impress as much, he captivates with his fantastic and convincing "tired" performance. Even the exceptional acting standard of Al Pacino isn't enough. Those who took away from the film only the fact that smoking is bad for your health should watch the film again because every pack of cigarettes will tell you the same thing. This film is much deeper (but not philosophical) and more valuable than its two-and-a-half hours might lead some to believe. Plus, it goes by as fast as a lit cigarette burning down to the filter. (10/06/2005)

How far can we go in proving the truth? And what are we willing to lose in the fight for it, knowing that we have stronger enemies against us? Mann is almost unrecognizable and therefore failing this time. I expected a bomb from him on this topic, but instead got a journalistic drama with a murderous track, an atmospheric soundtrack, and unsurprisingly convincing performances by Crowe and the perfect Pacino. Perhaps if it had truly surprised me at least once, it could have been better. (15/07/2006)

This picture doesn’t focus so much on the issue of smoking cigarettes, but more on the strange power of the tobacco corporations. Money can buy almost everything. Trust. Silence. Faith. But can it buy opinions? Honor? Can the price of a person’s lifestyle be quantified? In this brilliant thriller we hear lots of fascinating facts and details that really happened and that deserve some contemplation. Mann’s directing means that everything is realistic and the acting performances of Al Pacino and Russell Crowe are more than convincing. Both the camerawork and the music are simply captivating. The Insider is one of those “one in a hundred" movies. (23/08/2006)

I was expecting the same quality Heat had and it's not the case. It's a different film both in theme and image, but it didn't win me over. (23/04/2004)

Brilliantly staged, acted and scored, as is customary with the visionary Mann, with a strong underlying theme that wants to speak to the audience globally through the fateful story of an individual. But despite this, this is Mann's most American film, interspersed with clichés and subplots to such an extent that the two-hour intimate narrative becomes, somewhat unnecessarily, a 150-minute Hollywood spectacle for an unintentionally narrowed target audience. If you fully appreciate technical mastery and the chosen thematic context, you’ll be able to watch Insider in one go without much difficulty... But not everyone will manage. 80% (25/06/2013)