Overview
The Insider follows Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), a former executive with tobacco company Brown & Williamson, who blows the whistle on inappropriate practices within the tobacco industry concerning the addictiveness of nicotine and other substances. Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for the CBS news program 60 Minutes, induces Wigand to do an interview with correspondent Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). The movie follows the events that transpire, including the degradation of Wigand's family life, the threats and smear campaign organized by Brown & Williamson against him, and Bergman's fight to get the show on the air despite CBS's attempt to censor the show for fear of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from the tobacco company. It explores the tense but somewhat symbiotic relationship between Wigand and Bergman, and the relationship between Bergman and Wallace as their ethical decisions diverge. It shows how ethical decisions related to journalism can be influenced by corporate pressure, money, and intrapersonal conflict. The trailer below gives a brief summation of the story.
The Insider follows Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), a former executive with tobacco company Brown & Williamson, who blows the whistle on inappropriate practices within the tobacco industry concerning the addictiveness of nicotine and other substances. Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for the CBS news program 60 Minutes, induces Wigand to do an interview with correspondent Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). The movie follows the events that transpire, including the degradation of Wigand's family life, the threats and smear campaign organized by Brown & Williamson against him, and Bergman's fight to get the show on the air despite CBS's attempt to censor the show for fear of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from the tobacco company. It explores the tense but somewhat symbiotic relationship between Wigand and Bergman, and the relationship between Bergman and Wallace as their ethical decisions diverge. It shows how ethical decisions related to journalism can be influenced by corporate pressure, money, and intrapersonal conflict. The trailer below gives a brief summation of the story.
The movie was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Crowe and Best Picture.
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