> From: Peter Kilander
> The Insider - Nation magazine cover in journalist's office, Marcuse is
> name-dropped. I thought it was a good exploration of why it's so
> much easier just to play along. Really the movie is quite an indictment.
I forgot Insider on my list. A couple of things distinguish it from most "anti-corporate films." Most are about the little guy proving that, against all odds, the little guy can win in the end, with the subtext being that while a lot of corporate types are bastards (yeah populist appeal), a system where the little guy prevails in the end is not so bad.
Here, the reporter (played well by Al Pacino in one of his best performances in years) makes it clear that when the source has to have his life destroyed and the reporter has to use every personal chit at his disposal just to force a news organization to keep a promise, then no one else will come forward for that kind of abuse. It also spotlighted how new attacks on the first amendment are coming in the back door through various tort lawsuits for "interference with contract" (this case) or "fraudulent investigative techniques" (Food Lion).
I should also add that Russell Crowe as the tobacco researcher source gave a complex portrayal of a flawed man, struggling to overcome both the personal compromises he made to take the tobacco job originally, his sense of obligations under his employment contract, and his less-than-exemplary personal life history which is turned against him.
All very well done.
Adding in many of the other films Peter added (and I though Magnolia was a stunningly original film) and adding a big endorsement for Chuck's choice of the Matrix, 1999 was the best year in film I can remember for a long time.
-- Nathan Newman