Having lived through a whistle-blowing experience with a local situation that had me pitted directly against the superintendent and school board, I understand a smidgen of the types of pressures that come to bear when you fight the powers that be. It's nothing like going against the tobacco industry, as Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) faces in The Insider. Nor is it like exposing possible corporate compliance of CBS and questioning its journalistic integrity, as 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) does.

I realize Michael Mann plays a little loose with the facts of the situation; as he related to The New York Times, "in the realm of drama, you change everything." He doesn't change everything though; he keeps the principal players—identities intact. The overall story remains true to the spirit of whistle-blowing, even though the tobacco company never really threatened Wigand's life, Bergman never manipulated The Wall Street Journal, and Don Hewitt and Mike Wallace fought harder for airing the original story in real life.

Mann has crafted an intense thriller without resorting to any bloody violence. Though the lack of physical action will not appeal to some viewers, those who enjoy more cerebral fare will be satisfied during its 2-and-a-half-hour running time. Realize that you are in for some inside views about investigative journalism, character studies, and some outstanding ensemble acting.

The initial shot fooled me a bit. I expected the moving white, gauzy material to be from some cigarette filter. Instead, it's a blindfold used to cover Bergman's eyes on his way to set up a 60 Minutes interview with a radical Islamic leader in Jerusalem. Through Bergman we see the whirlwind lifestyle of the high-profile TV journalist, as he moves from story to story in compressed time.

Before long, we are in the Wigand home. Jeffrey arrives home earlier than usual, and remarks ironically to his daughter that she's watching cartoons a little early in the day as he pours himself a premature nightcap. We soon learn that the high-level scientist has just been fired by tobacco mogul Brown & Williamson, and that the powerful company considers his knowledge a legitimate threat.

They are correct.

Wigand must decide whether to remain quiet to protect his income and medical coverage, or go public to expose the unethical behavior of the nicotine delivery products on 60 Minutes. He knows the tobacco lobby (and Brown & Williamson in particular) will go after him, but he has no idea how hard they will apply the pressure. Nor does Wigand suspect that 60 Minutes will have its own dilemmas to go through; he has established a trusting relationship with producer Bergman.

Some may think the whole plot plodding, but 60 Minutes fans will find plenty to enjoy. For one thing, Christopher Plummer absolutely nails Mike Wallace's journalistic style, his voice patterns, and body language. The real Mike Wallace may dispute the accuracy of the plot, but there's no way he'll be portrayed as the martyr to the cause when he's played by Christopher Plummer (instead of Pacino or Crowe) unless we're seeing a film noir piece. Plummer did receive a nomination for supporting actor, and I was surprised when he didn't win.

Crowe deservedly was nominated for Best Actor. Pacino very well could have been nominated as a co-lead. Crowe makes you forget about his tough guy performances in LA Confidential and Gladiator when you see him as an average working man (Crowe gained a little pudginess for the flawed but courageous character).

Fans expecting a lot of physical action will be disappointed with The Insider because most of the real action takes place within Crowe's character, requiring that you pay close attention to his body language and facial expressions.

Though a great deal of attention has been paid to the way The Insider exposes the tobacco industry and how Mann distorts some of the details, fewer people have paid attention to how Pacino acts as the insider who forces CBS to follow the journalistic ideals set down by Edward R. Murrow. Again, the facts may be distorted for dramatic purposes, but Mann does communicate a broad truth about media coverage and the conflicts it faces when put into conflict with commercial interests. The Insider also shows how much the media must rely on developing relationships with people. It places Pacino and Crowe into the vortex of the situation and makes The Insider one of the top films of 1999.