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Average User Score: 9 (39 sources)

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fastfilm

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There's been precious few modernish films for adults that do not rely upon action histrionics: imagine how rare that so secular and restrained a work like "The Insider" originates from Michael Mann. Everything about the film resonates...
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There's been precious few modernish films for adults that do not rely upon action histrionics: imagine how rare that so secular and restrained a work like "The Insider" originates from Michael Mann. Everything about the film resonates with excellence in filmmaking, and that it is about, at its core, the hitherto unworkable premise of the thought process itself remains all the more miraculous.

Yes, there's some action, a lot of intrigue, office politics, political maneuvering, betrayals right and left, relationships and relationships strained, but what this film portrays most memorablye is thinking itself. I've never before seen a film wherein the thought process itself is so beautifully realized, and believe it or not it furthers the story exponentially. The seen where Crowe realizes he's lost everything that meant anything to him in life just by doing the right thing is a powerful one, testiment to Crowe's skill, and a fascinatingly modern music choice underneath.

A marvel alltogther.

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Posted feb 26, 2008 12:21 am pt

FilipHolm

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Michael Mann`s "The Insider" is not his best, but still is worth checking out.
The story is good, because is based on a true story. And the acting is great, two of the finest actors in the world is included in this movie (Al...
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Michael Mann`s "The Insider" is not his best, but still is worth checking out.
The story is good, because is based on a true story. And the acting is great, two of the finest actors in the world is included in this movie (Al Pacino and Russel Crowe), and makes this a movie that allmost anybody should have a look at.

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Posted mar 30, 2007 10:50 pm pt

uncleduke78

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One of the best films of the 90's, but for some reason little seen.

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Posted mar 6, 2007 8:30 am pt

amauriel

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Wow! I can't believe no one has reviewed this movie yet. "The Insider" is a brilliantly written and acted movie. Russell Crowe is phenomenal as Jeffrey Wigand and Al Pacino is just as great in his role.

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Posted feb 18, 2007 11:13 pm pt

• [+] New York Daily News
  
  100
  May be the best movie of the year.

  by Jack Mathews | Read Full Review »
• [+] Rolling Stone
  
  100
  With it's dynamite performances, strafing wit and dramatic provocation, The Insider offers Mann at his best -- blood up, unsanitized and unbowed.

  by Peter Travers | Read Full Review »
• [+] Salon.com
  
  100
  A marvelous ensemble cast and all the visceral impact and moment-to-moment tension of a fine thriller, together with the distinctive visual style of an art film.

  by Andrew O'Hehir | Read Full Review »
• [+] Christian Science Monitor
  
  100
  Excellent acting, a stirring screenplay, and crisply intelligent directing make this fact-based movie a great human drama as well as a riveting and revealing look at crucially important social issues.

  by David Sterritt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  91
  It's a terrific movie -- intelligent, magnificently acted, highly compelling as a thriller, and downright scary in its implications for the corporate-run world of the new millennium.

  by William Arnold | Read Full Review »
• [+] Slate
  
  90
  A big, overlong, and rather unwieldy piece of storytelling, but the story it has to tell is so vital that it cuts through all the dramaturgical muddiness. It's a terrific muckraking melodrama--it will get people fuming.

  by David Edelstein | Read Full Review »
• [+] LA Weekly
  
  90
  Has the glorious look and immaculate technique we expect from Mann, along with a wealth of superb secondary performances.

  by Manohla Dargis | Read Full Review »
• [+] Newsweek
  
  90
  Reveals a chilling reality: how hard it is to tell a simple truth when big business doesn't want it told.

  by David Ansen | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  90
  A well-orchestrated nightmare that keeps you on edge until the very end.

  by Desson Thomson | Read Full Review »
• [+] Mr. Showbiz
  
  90
  For two hours and 35 minutes it is absolutely riveting.

  by Richard T. Jameson | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  90
  Is still sleek, gripping entertainment with a raw-nerved, changeable camera style that helps to amplify its meaning.

  by Janet Maslin | Read Full Review »
• [+] Time
  
  90
  The viewer almost has to be a journalist--or a good editor--to sniff out the meat under all the fat.

  by Richard Corliss | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  90
  A dead-on tale of corporate power, courage, cowardice and how we live.

  by Kenneth Turan | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Reader
  
  90
  Almost cagily creating understated drama from high-stakes reality.

  by Lisa Alspector | Read Full Review »
• [+] USA Today
  
  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.

  by Mike Clark | Read Full Review »