INSIDER [Blu-ray]

"The Insider" is the riveting tale of how the lives of two men - Jeffrey Wigand, a famous tobacco industry "whistleblower," and Lowell Bergman, a producer for CBS News' "60 Minutes" - become suddenly entwined in one of the most controversial political and social issues of the mid-1990s: the conspiracy by American tobacco companies to enhance the addictive properties of cigarettes, and then cover up that conspiracy. It’s the story of how Wigand singlehandedly exposed the darkest secrets of the tobacco industry, and was publicly vilified for his efforts. It's also the story of how one of America's greatest and most respected news organizations, when confronted by the truth of Wigand’s assertions, betrayed its own journalistic principles in the face of a threatened lawsuit by the tobacco industry.“The Insider” abounds with superlative acting. Al Pacino delivers a stunning performance as Lowell Bergman, and Russell Crowe, nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Jeffrey Wigand, richly texturizes his character – partly a tormented soul, partly an easy to dislike cynical tough guy, and partly a dreamy idealist. Christopher Plummer brings a perfect blend of "stuffed-shirt" arrogance and pomposity to the character of Mike Wallace. Other performances of note include Diane Venora as Liane Wigand; Philip Baker Hall as CBS News boss Don Hewitt; and Michael Gambon as Brown and Williamson CEO Thomas Sandefur.With its superlative acting, intelligent screenplay, and outstanding video and audio qualities, this Blu-ray version of “The Insider” is an essential addition to all home video libraries. Most highly recommended.

This and 1995's "Heat" are Michael Mann's two best films. For my money, this one is the better of the two and deserved to take home the Best Picture Oscar over "American Beauty". Michael Mann shows that's he's the master of this long-form procedural type of movie. The film is absolutely riveting for its 2-and-a-half hours, filled with strong characters and a level of complexity that's never hard to follow. The cast is led by fantastic performances from Russell Crowe (in an Oscar-worthy performance), Al Pacino, and Christopher Plummer.The Blu-ray has been recently remastered and it looks fantastic. There's a great deal of detail and sharpness gained over the old DVD of the film. The new transfer is natural and film-like in its texture. The Blu-ray picture is notably more colorful than the DVD, which had a somewhat muted look. Michael Mann is a very precise and demanding filmmaker, and I imagine the transfer must have met his approval before making its way onto this Blu-ray.The Blu-ray's audio does a solid job. Dialogue is crisp and clear and the music sounds excellent. The Blu-ray's biggest disappointment is the lack of much in the way of extras. The disc includes a short promotional-type featurette, and the theatrical trailer (both in standard definition). The film is definitely deserving of new extras like retrospective pieces, new interviews with cast and crew, or a commentary with Mann. How about the original 60 Minutes news piece? Or the Michael Mann and Jeffrey Wigand interviews from the Charlie Rose show? Anyway, the movie deserves more, and I think it's indicative of Disney/Touchstone's lack of care for their live action catalog titles. Still, the Blu-ray looks and sounds great and that's what matters the most.

I first saw this movie during a finance class in college since it tied into corporate dealings and practices. I absolutely loved it and bought the DVD the next day. Ever since Blu-Ray released, this has been one of the films I've been wanting to see re-released in the High Definition format. I must say that the wait was worth it and I was not disappointed.Video:Presented in a 2.39:1 ratio, the transfer is virtually flawless. Shadows and black levels are solid and close up shots give amazing detail.Audio:DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 EnglishDolby Digital 5.1 FrenchDolby Digital 2.0 SpanishThere's not really any action in this film as mainly dialogue driven. What is here is crisp and clear, although a tad bit on the quiet side requiring me to turn my audio up some.Special Features:A short production featurette, a "commentary" that is really interviews and not a traditional commentary track, and a theatrical trailer. If you like the behind the scenes stuff on movies, there's not much to be had here.All in all this is an excellent release and one to definitely own!

If I was rating the movie, I would certainly have given five stars. I give four start for the Blu-Ray mainly because of the lack of extra features and packaging. If you own the DVD, you will find the video quality on Blu-Ray to be significantly improved. If you are one of those guys who buys a movie twice just to have it in better quality,and this is one of your favorite movies, then go ahead and buy it. Apart from some god-awful movie trailers, the extras are the same as those found on the DVD and they are standard def. This Blu-Ray is only about the movie. Even the box is a bit soft and feels a little cheap. If you don't own the DVD and like the movie, this is best version out there.

Plays perfectly, even the PAL dvd heehee . Many thanks.

I rented this movie years ago because I had heard about the dust-up with the heads of Big Tobacco. It is a great movie and leaves you screaming at your television in frustration about the treatment of Jeffrey Weigand (played by Russell Crowe). This was my first Russell Crowe movie and I thought he did a wonderful job as the tortured scientist whose conscience leads him to leak confidential information to the press about cigarettes. This is were=here the phrase "nicotine delivery system" came from. As an aside, imagine my surprise when I saw Russell Crowe in Gladiator and realized it was the same guy! I bought this movie again because it deserves to belong in my permanent collection.

Great acting; great story.

Michael Mann's masterpiece The Insider is finally out on Blu-ray and it looks and sounds fantastic.While I love Heat and Thief most of all Mann's films, Insider comes very close to the top three and if you don't know this film I urge you to give it a try.And if you know it and love it as I do it's a blu-ray release you don't want to miss!

Una delle vette cinematografiche di Michael Mann, forse il suo film più personale insieme a Manhunter. Stile altissimo (intrecci sonori, dettagli visivi), perfettamente restituito dalla qualità superba del blu ray. Non c'è traccia o sottotitoli italiani, ma, pur se il doppiaggio era ottimo, vale la pena sentirlo in inglese.Attori magnifici, film densissimo e assolutamente unico. Non commerciale ma allo stesso tempo avvincente. Anche molto intimo, grazie ad una camera e ad una messa in scena che si attacca ai personaggi e restituisce atmosfere e sensazioni quasi impalpabili, che si legano paradossalmente all'aspetto da cinema civile del film. Uno strano e riuscitissimo esperimento, quindi, di film di denuncia ma assolutamente cinematografico e personale nella sua realizzazione e stileCome nel miglior Mann, a prescindere dalla storia e dal genere, sono i personaggi che contano

Der Chemiker Dr. Wigand (Russel Crowe) arbeitet für ein großes Tabakunternehmen in der Entwicklung. Als er Bedenken wegen der Abhängigkeit äußert, wird dieser entlassen. Nach anfänglicher Zurückhaltung bricht er langsam sein Schweigen gegenüber dem hartnäckigen und ebenso gerissenen Nachrichtenreporter Lowell Bergmann (Al Pacino), welcher diese Geschichte an die Öffentlichkeit bringen möchte. Als der Tabakkonzern dies erfährt, wird der Druck auf Wigand nach und nach erhöht.Auch wenn es etwas gedauert hat, hat mir der Film wirklich sehr gut gefallen.Wer auf schauspielerisches Können und einen guten Film wert legt, sollte sich diesen Film nicht entgehen lassen.(Actionfans werden sich aber langweilen.)

Schauspieler und Handlung in diesem Film dürfen anspruchsvolle Zuschauer nicht verpassen. In dieser Rezension sei der Regisseur Michael Mann hervorgehoben, dessen Thriller neben der brillanten Geschichte auch stets in lebendigen Bildern dargestellt werden. Neben Hitchcock und ein paar wenigen anderen zählt Michael Mann diesbezüglich zu den Könnern. Die amerikanische Großstadt, der Alltag, die pulsierenden Straßen - man ist direkt dabei und mittendrin, alles ist klar ausgeleuchtet. Bei Michael Manns Filmen (auch "Heat"), sollte man vor allem die Kulissen im Hintergrund beachten.

Bild und ton sind gut.Film ist sehr gut. Sehr zu empfehlen