The Insider (1999) - Movie Review

THE INSIDER (1999)

MOVIE REVIEW

What is it that truly makes a movie cinematic? What is it in a film that truly makes it something that belongs within the language of cinema, and simply not a retread or an extension of theatre or literature? My perception of what makes a movie truly cinematic, and this is possibly what the majority of people feel as well, is when a movie or rather, the director, utilizes the very techniques and tools that are unique to cinema. Most movies are, practically, an extension of theatre or literature, and have pretty much been that way since sound came along in the 1930s. Former video essayist Tony Zhou argued in his video essay examining Edgar Wright's genius for visual comedy what separates a mediocre director from a great one is their ability to see the cinematic potential in material most directors don't. Although this review isn't for a comedy film, when the question comes of what film directors truly make movies that feel cinematic, I can't think of a better candidate than Michael Mann, and no better showcase for his talents as a director than his 1999 masterpiece The Insider.

The two protagonists of The Insider; Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe; above) and Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino; below).

The complex and multilayered plot of The Insider defies a simple plot synopsis, I don't even know exactly what genre it belongs to, but I'll try my darn best to deal with this. In its essense, I would say the film is a dramatic investigative thriller about two men driven to tell the truth to the public. One of them is  Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), an investigative reporter and producer for the esteemed television news program 60 Minutes. The other is a former high-level Brown & Williamson (Big Tobacco) executive named Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) who gets surveilled by his former bosses due to the information he could potentially disclose. They tape an interview, but the 60 Minutes network CBS won't air the interview because of legal threats made by Big Tobacco, which could jeopardize a corporation merger which would enrich some high-level CBS executives. As the film goes on, both Bergman and Wigand must question their morals and determine at what lenghts they are willing to go to tell the truth.

Michael Mann (left) working with Al Pacino (middle) and Russell Crowe (right) on set.

Michael Mann was right in the middle of post-production of his magnum opus Heat in 1995 when the events depicted in The Insider occured. Mann talked to the real-life Lowell Bergman, who gave him his perspective on the whole ordeal. After the critical and commercial success of Heat, Mann turned his attention to what was then known as the "Untitled Tobacco Project" which eventually became The Insider, and received the financing from Touchstone Pictures, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Pictures. Mann cast his Heat co-star Al Pacino as Bergman, and after some careful consideration, cast the New Zealand actor Russell Crowe, who had just achieved international acclaim through his performance in Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential. Mann teamed up with screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Munich) to write the epic and multilayered 122-page screenplay. When it came to Bergman's side of the story, they could simply turn to Bergman for advice and inspiration. But with Wigand they couldn't, because he was still under his confidentiality agreement, and could not be reached. Instead, Mann and Roth turned to a Vanity Fair article titled The Man Who Knew Too Much by Marie Brenner, which covered the story through Wigand's eyes and provided Mann and Roth with deep insight into his personality, the weight on his shoulders and his complex family life.

Mann, Russell Crowe and Pacino going through the script.

Like in all of his movies, Mann wastes no time introducing us to our two main characters, and drops the audience right in the middle of the action. The vey first image of The Insider is that of an extreme close-up of a strange white object, which makes us wonder "what the hell is that"? Then we cuts to an establishing shot outside a jeep, and we see two men with blindfolds covering their eyes. We soon realize that one of them is Bergman, and the strange white object was an extreme close-up of his blindfold. Even when sitting right in front of a very powerful sheik, Bergman does not back down and demonstrates to him and to the audience the kind of dedicated professional he is.

Wigand, on the other hand, is introduced in a completely different yet important manner. In the first shot we see him, he's in the foreground but he's out of focus. When he walks out of an elevator and down a hallway, he's framed in a very strange clouse-up of his right ear. As he walks out of the building, the film goes into slow motion as we see a security guard talking into his microphone. Along with Crowe's body langugage and gestures, we sense him as a man who's uncomfortable in his own skin, probably not the most open and warmest guy you'd want to meet. The securiy guard talking into his microphone as he's leaving the B&W building also gives us a sense of the already existing paranoia which will grow exponentially throughout the film. Mann put it beautifully himself when he said that Wigand does everything well but with little or no grace.

Bergman and Wigand meeting to discuss the possibility of Wigand doing an interview for 60 Minutes.

Mann also infuses these introductions with his particular use of subjectivity, as we get both Bergman's and Wigand's worldviews. Bergman's introductions is done very shaky and very handheld, with Bergman's hightened senses picking up sights and sounds whooshing by, as Bergman is depicted as someone who is always moving and always aware of his surroundings. Wigand however, is nearly always framed in odd angles and closeups, further drilling in the uncomfortableness and the paranoia of Wigand. One time he's shot from above, giving the audience a sense of the characters guilty conscience (an old Hitchcock trick: if you want the audience or the characters to feel paranoia or unease, just shoot the characters from above, works every time). This gives the film a sense of expressionism one usually doesn't see or associate with films like this. In fact, there's one moment near the end of the film were we literally see Wigand's hotel room walls turn into a vision of his daughters as he is now at his lowest point. This might be Mann's most expressionstic scene in any of his films since Manhunter, and I can actually see why some people might find it baffling at first since it seemingly breaks with the films more documentary-grounded realism and sense of truth, but it's emotionally true and we understand why this moment is happening.

Al Pacino and Russell Crowe with the real-life Lowell Bergman and Jeffrey Wigand.

Mann fills out the rest of the cast with an exceptional lineup of distinguished and veteran character actors for the supporting roles, including Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Debi Mazar, Gina Gershon, Philip Baker Hall, Stephen Toblowsky, Rip Torn, Colm Feore, Bruce McGill, Michael Gambon and Lindsay Crouse, who all deliver standout performances. Mann is one of those film directors who, along with the Coen brothers, understand that every part has to be cast perfectly, even the smallest of cameo or a part with no lines. Although I think Mann worked with his best ensemble in Heat, The Insider is a strong second and proves just how important casting is to your film. Plummer, for instance

I personally feel like the acting in Michael Mann films is different from acting in other films, mainly because I think he understands that filmmaking can be used to make a great performance even greater. The acting in his films never feels stagy or over-the-top (unless it's intentional), it's more like film acting. The camera can pick up a body gesture that proves to be informative of the characters, and he often uses music to put you in the characters situation. This is prevalent in all of Mann's films, and I think The Insider features some of the best acting in any of his films.

Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) being interviewed for 60 Minutes.

Whereas Mann's five feature films prior to this had been shot mostly with tripods, dolly tracks and Steadicams, The Insider is shot mostly using handheld cameras to give it an almost documentary, or perhaps more appropirately, a newsreel feeling of being in the moment and capturing it spontaneously, which totally works since the movie focuses on news reporting and investigative journalism. After The Insider, Mann would shoot the majority of his films this way and almost completely disregarding static shots and tripods. As much as I love The Insider and Mann's later films like Collateral, Miami Vice and Blackhat, I still miss the more "classical" and static appraoch of Mann's earlier films, mainly because of his extraordinary and painterly compositions and frames of his classical approach in films like Thief, Manhunter and Heat.

Michael Mann operating the camera in one scene.

Mann's typical blue color palette takes a backseat in The Insider, in favor of a more naturalistic and realistic color palette which does include blues but also green, white and oranges, all used to beautiful effect. This would be the final collaboration between Mann and cinematographer Dante Spinotti until Public Enemies in 2009, and also Mann's final film to be completely shot on 35mm film. His next film Ali (shot by Emmanuel Lubezki) was shot primarily on 35mm film but utilized digital for certain scenes, and then Mann went full digital with Collateral (shot by Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron) and has never shot on 35mm film ever since. Altough I consider Mann and David Fincher to be the directors who best know how to utilize digital cameras a a powerful storytelling tool, I still contend that Mann's films (and Fincher's for that matter) have never looked as good as when they were shot on film. Mann hasn't ruled out the possibility of returning to film, but I highly doubt that he is returning to it at this point.

Michael Mann's elaborate shooting setup for the insert shot when Wigand discovers a bullet in his mail box.

The music is another extraordinary and important hallmark in the films of Michael Mann. Mann knows what type of music fits in any given moments in the film, and wether to go with pre-existing music or with an original score. That is why many of his soundtracks includes the work of many different composers and artists. With The Insider, Mann chose to collaborate with composer Peter Bourke and Australian vocalist Lisa Gerrard, and together they have created a truly unique score that in parts almost resemble a horror movie score, and at times it brings this incredible emotional weight to a scene, like the track "Sacrifice", combining Lisa Gerrard's incredibly deep vocals with an incredibly emotional moment in the film. It is particularly well-used when Wigand's interview is finally aired, and Wigand's daughters look up at him in slow motion, so his daughters finally realize why he was forced to put them through this entire ordeal. Combined with the music and the slow motion, it becomes one of the most emotional moments in any of Mann's films.

Michael Mann and Al Pacino.

Going back to my reference of Tony Zhou's video essay, I hope this review has made it clear to you, dear reader, why I think Michael Mann is one of the greatest filmmakers working today, and possible of all time, because he's able to use all the elements of cinema to make emotionally engaging and entertaining films. And I think The Insider is one of his greatest films for that reason, and I highly recommend it!

My final verdict: 9.5/10