Mann's the man. (The Insider (DVD))

Member Name: Slide Professor

Product:	The Insider (DVD)
Date:	03/06/00 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Russell Crowe and great urban cinematography

Disadvantages: Bit long?

I love Mann films. He just creates atmospheres that make you sit on the edge of your seat, willing the next frame to come up and then the next and then the next.

The Insider, based on a true story, expounds the start of the war against that tobacco companies in the U.S. It is a classic whistle blower narrative. Almost predictable at times, but I never really minded that throughout the 3 hour long film. The opening sequence highlights the director's ability to switch between 1st and 3rd person perspective and automatically pulls you in to the process of investigation that the film depicts. Short punchy editing gives The Insider endows it with a hectic almost nightmarish quality at times and this only goes to enhance the screenplay and the acting.

Russell Crowe, the man of the moment in Hollywood, and Al Pacino, film icon in his own right, work well together. Crowe's quirky twitchy performance is punctuated with the class that he always seem to show (L.A.Confidential), and Pacino fits nicely into the role of investigative journalist, although I found it hard to distinguish his journalist from the policeman in Mann's last film Heat.

On hearing the plot outline of The Insider, one might be put off; it doesn't sound like it is all that, but do not be deterred, this one is a beauty. I only wish that Michael Mann made films more often....

Summary: