To me, this movie is perfection.

Lack of good storyline.

Good concept, poorly executed.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Was this movie funded by the State Dept. or by the Pentagon? Either way watching this snail-fest of a yawn inducing story exudes typical signatures of State sponsored propaganda that anyone born before 1980 will recognise immediately. Sad to see such great acting names roped in by either money or CIA influence.Avoid like Ebola.

It's rare to find a movie of this stature. Brilliant performances by Pacino and Crowe, especially the former. The pace is intense, the direction brilliant! Not a flaw in this one. Go watch it! Your every minute will be well spent.

Smoking is bad for you. Duh. But when you know just a little bit of science you see right through this "whistle-blower's" claims. Tobacco companies added a chemical extracted from plants to give their product a more pleasant smell. They added green-leaf-volatiles; the chemical that gives fresh cut grass its pleasant smell. Jeffrey Wigand called it "rat poison." Warfarin is a rat poison in huge quantities and can be made from green leaf volatiles, it is also a life-saving drug that prevents strokes and heart-attacks. So the "whistle-blower" lied to make himself appear to be a hero. Tobacco companies called him a liar and were telling the truth, but since they are tobacco companies we have to believe every lie told about them. This movie fictionalized his exaggerations into a full-blown melodramatic hero-flick.

For me personally I've always been a bit off and on with Michael Mann what few films I've seen from him I'm not a big fan (even Heat) but I was still desperate to see The Insider and now haven seen this masterpiece I will always give him credit as The Insider is now one of my all time favourite movies with amazing performances. The characters in this movie are incredibly investing because Mann doesn't paint them as perfect they're all making mistakes and screwing up which makes them seem more human. Russell Crowe is absolutely amazing in this movie with Gladiator also being one of my favourite movies I wasn't sure if I'd ever see a better performance from him but here he is just as good not only is his accent convincing but the toll taken on him is perfectly conveyed through his masterful performance. Al Pacino is every bit his equal he perfectly conveys his no nonsense, experienced character making you believe that no one else could have played this part. The tension in this movie is done just right every time Crowe puts his (or his families) safety on the line you feel it you are worried as to what the company is going to do to him next. Is also a very interesting film, to see all the ways in which Crowe and Pacino are trying to combat Big Tobacco using the law in very specific way and it further enthuses Pacino's experience and Crowes vulnerability. When things do go Crowes way you feel it the writing in this movie is so good that you are desperate for Crowe to succeed because overall you see that he just wants to do the right thing. I absolutely adore The Insider it's suspenseful and heartbreaking and in many ways also uplifting it's got some Career best performances and makes me desperate to see more films from Michael Mann.100%-A+