The Insider

From scene one, this film delivers a long slow burn as the tale of power and corruption unfolds. There is little action, but the film is steeped in an atmosphere of tension and high drama. The direction by Michael Mann is masterful, an object lesson in how to frame shots and let silence, as well as words - and music - work for the story. Al Pacino is once more the great actor of early films such as 'Scarecrow', instead of the theatrical performer of recent films. Russell Crowe shows his solid 'ordinary guy'character as more tortured through losing his family than any of the macho scenes he portrayed in 'Gladiator.' A superb film.

The film begins with Lowell Bergman (Pacino) and a colleague being taken (under a blindfold) to see a Sheik in the Middle East about doing an interview with Mike Wallace (Plummer) for the CBS show 60 Minutes. Bergman's blindfold is kept on while he speaks to the Sheik. When the Sheik agrees to the interview and leaves the room, Bergman removes his blindfold and calls Mike Wallace, while his colleague looks at how the room can be used for the interview. Two days later Wallace arrives and, even though one of the Sheik's bodyguards does not want him to sit so close, the interview goes ahead.

While this is happening, back in the United States in Louisville, Kentucky, Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) packs his belongings and leaves Brown and Williamson to go home to his wife (Venora) and two children, one of whom suffers from acute asthma. It is not until after the family sits down to eat dinner, that Wigand's wife raises questions regarding boxes she has seen in Wigand's car. He replies in a very solemn voice that he was fired that morning.

Now back in the U.S., Bergman is at home when an anonymous package arrives concerning the tobacco company Philip Morris and a cigarette and fire safety study. Because, the documents inside the package are all written in chemistry jargon, Bergman calls a friend to ask the name of someone who could translate the study into plain English. His friend gives him Wigand's name and phone number. Wigand refuses to speak to Bergman, and they exchange faxes. Eventually Bergman says that he will be at a hotel in Louisville at a certain time.

Wigand and Bergman meet at the hotel and Wigand agrees to be a consultant about the Fire Safety Study from Philip Morris but he says that he can't talk about anything else because he is bound by a Confidentiality Agreement. Wigand takes the documents and leaves. He then goes to a meeting with the CEO of Brown and Williamson, Thomas Sandefeur (Gambon), who forces him to sign an expanded confidentiality agreement. Wigand believes that Bergman told Brown and Williamson about their meeting and accuses him of it.

Bergman visits Wigand's house the next day and denies that he said anything to Brown and Williamson because it's not what he does. Wigand and Bergman talk about the seven CEOs of Big Tobacco testifying to Congress that they know nothing of addiction in nictotine, and that they should be afraid of Wigand. They also talk about why Wigand started working for a tobacco company after he had worked for other Biotech companies. Bergman tells Wigand that he has to decide for himself whether or not to blow the whistle on big tobacco.

Back at CBS Headquarters, Bergman and Wallace are in a meeting where they view the seven CEOs testifying before Congress and they discuss what Wigand might have that would hurt them. A lawyer is present at the meeting and he claims that because of Wigand's Confidentiality Agreement and because big tobacco have an unlimited checkbook, he will never be able to reveal what he knows. Bergman then 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.

Wigand becomes a high school teacher in Chemistry and Japanese in Louisville. He and his family move into a new house. One night he finds a shoe print in his garden, receives death threats via e-mails and then finds a bullet in his mailbox. The FBI doesn't take him seriously and seizes his computer, even though it is personal property.

Wigand and Bergman have dinner together and Bergman asks Wigand about incidents from his past that big tobacco might use against him. Wigand tells him several things, then expresses that he is risking a lot and he can't see that it's going to make much difference. Bergman assures him that it will.

Bergman gets in touch with Richard Scruggs (Feore) and Ron Motley (McGill) who, along with Mississippi's Attorney General, are suing big tobacco on behalf of the State of Mississippi (Mike Moore, playing himself) to get the state reimbursed Medicaid cards for treating people with smoking related illnesses. Bergman tells them his idea and they express interest in talking to Wigand.

Wigand phones Bergman telling him that his family is being terrorized and that he wants to go to New York and get on the record. Wigand and his wife meet Bergman and Wallace in New York, but Wigand has not told his wife that he will do the interview. As the Wigands leave separately Wallace asks, 'Who are these people?' to which Bergman replies, 'They're ordinary people under extraordinary pressure, Mike. What did you expect? Grace and consistency?'

Wigand does the interview with Wallace where he states that Brown and Williamson manipulates nicotine through ammonia chemistry to allow nicotine to be more rapidly absorbed in the lungs and therefore affect the brain and central nervous system. He then goes on to say that Brown and Williamson has consciously ignored public health considerations in the name of profit.

Wigand begins his new teaching job and he talks to Richard Scruggs. He goes home to find that Bergman has given him some security personnel. Wigand's wife is struggling under the pressure and tells him so.

Wigand goes to Mississippi where he receives a restraining order issued by the State of Kentucky. It is not honored in Mississippi but if he testifies then as soon as he goes back to Kentucky he could be imprisoned. After a long period on his own, he decides to go to court to give a deposition. At the deposition he says that nicotine acts as a drug.

Wigand goes back to Kentucky to find that his wife and two 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 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. Bergman comes to see that he is alone on the issue, as Wallace agrees with editing the interview.

Big tobacco also begins a smear campaign against Wigand, talking to his first wife and publishing a 500-page dossier about everything Wigand has done wrong. Through talking with Wigand, Bergman sees that big tobacco has distorted and exaggerated their claims. He gets into contact with a reporter from the Wall Street Journal about delaying the story until it can be proved. He also gets into contact with private investigators who do their own investigating. Bergman gives his findings to the Wall Street Journal reporter and tells him to push the deadline. Bergman is ordered to go on vacation.

The edited interview is broadcast. Bergman tries to get through to Wigand at his hotel but there is no answer. He talks to the hotel manager who goes up to Wigand's room with a phone. Wigand is sitting still and staring straight ahead. Then he looks over his shoulder and sees his daughters playing in their back garden. Finally Wigand talks to Bergman, accusing him of manipulating him into where he is now. Bergman tells Wigand that he is important to a lot of people and that guys like him are in short supply. Wigand says the same about Bergman.

Bergman decides to get in contact with a journalist from the New York Times, and everything that went on at 60 Minutes is revealed. The Wall Street Journal60 Minutes finally broadcasts the full interview with Wigand. finally releases its article where it states that most of the accusations against Wigand are backed by scant or contradictory evidence, and they reveal Wigand's deposition in Mississippi.

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 settlement that big tobacco made with Mississippi and other States in their lawsuit, that Wigand lives in South Carolina and that Bergman works for the PBS show Frontline.