I remember the interview with Wigand on 60 Minutes. It really blew my mind. I was a smoker back then, and still am, but that is beside the point. I've always known that smoking is bad for me, and how these pompous assholes could sit there and deny the addictiveness of nicotine and the cancerous effects of different ingredients in their tobacco was infuriating. Then in steps Wigand...and things changed. Not over night, but it changed gradually. That interview was important. It couldn't have been easy, much as the movie shows. Taking into account the fact that it is a dramatization of course... I have no idea why I haven't watched this one before now. The Insider is a smart and intelligent film, with actors who certainly know what they are doing. Exciting in places, and downright scary in others, the story pushes you along in about two and a half hour who never gets boring. Recommended viewing!!!!

*"Do you have a history of emotional problems, Mr. Wigand?" "Yes. Yes, I do. I get extremely emotional when assholes put bullets in my mailbox!"* *Suits: A Big Tobacco Special* Overlong and very slow for a thriller but it has a ton to entertain with the character interactions and political drama. Russell Crowe's character goes through a financially and psychologically difficult journey and it's quite entertaining to witness. Losing your job can be absolutely crushing especially when you need to provide for your family. Solid performances all-around, Al Pacino is great as always and Crowe is at his best and he's demonstrating a lot of emotional range here, the scenes they have together are the best. Diane Venora is another highlight, she nails every single emotional scene she's asked to deliver and then some. The lighting really sticks out in this, some really good looking one color scenes, I think they did the whole rainbow. I won't lie I expected some thrills in the third act, I enjoy political back and forth but give me a bit of action especially after 2.5 hours of buildup. Maybe political thrillers aren't my kind of thrills.

An excellent movie that is more actual than ever. Besides the excellent acting performances, the story gives a realistic inside into how politics and big corporations control the media, manipulate facts, twist or bury the truth and threaten or crush people who tell the truth. Given the immense political and financial power these people have, they have the means to steamroll the truth and use it to twist the official narrative to their advantage. Unfortunately, given the experiences from namely cases as the one depicted in this movie, they are nowadays even more effective than at that time. Truth is crushed further and further and the general public is, without knowing, the losers while big corporations and politicians are the laughing winners. This movie should be a warning and a call to action for us all!

The system defends its children.

Great film, the performances put on by Russell Crowe and Al Pacino are fantastic. So much tension, some parts feel like a horror movie. Corporate interests and greed on full display. The crazy thing is, the tobacco industry, worldwide, today, is almost worth a trillion dollars. "Jeffrey, where are you going with this? Where are you going? You are important to a lot of people, Jeffrey. You think about that, and you think about them. I'm all out of heroes, man. Guys like you are in short supply."