THE FILM INSIDER: A STRUGGLE FOR THE TRUTH.

Michael Mann's film, The Insider, isn't a simplistic case of good vs. evil. It's a gripping, complex, and intelligent examination of how media corporations' incestuous relationship with their news subsidiaries can and does subvert the truth. It is a truth-based drama about the former tobacco industry scientist who blew the whistle on his bosses. The movie is about telling the truth, and yet at times it seems manipulative itself, as when it presents Wallace confessing his innermost thoughts about his career and reputation. It's about how ``60 Minutes'' had the story but caved into pressure not to run it. Reduced to a smartass summary, The Insider is just a bunch of white guys talking for two hours and thirty-seven minutes about how truth gets compromised in America.

Mann structures "The Insider" around a masterful series of dreamlike tableaus involving Wigand alone against landscapes suffused with improbable, fluorescent colors. The first half of the film centers on Wigand - his struggles with his conscience, his conflict with his former employers, his difficulty convincing his wife to understand and accept the sacrifices she was being forced to make, and his decision to damn the consequences and go forward. During this part of the movie, Bergman is clearly a supporting character. We see him practicing his golf swing at an ominously empty driving range at night, driving past the rows of white headstones at a military cemetery, sitting alone in a hotel room imagining his daughters playing in the backyard.

Mann's film isn't about the dangers of smoking; it's about the dangers of giant companies sharing a bed with the media — this Insider blows the whistle on the eroding line between what is "news" and corporate interest. In a medium that so often caters to pat answers and happy endings, The Insider places demands on the audience's attention and intellect that may put off those looking for a simple-minded cinematic frolic. "The Insider" inhabits a strong social message dealing with the influence of television, reputation, honesty, and so forth. The biggest ethic I think Mann is trying to get across is of modern morality: always do the right thing, follow your conscience, no matter what the cost.