The Insider (1999) - Mann rips apart big tobacco and media giant in fiery corporate thriller

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The faces of its two A-list stars in black and white is the whole poster here for Michael Mann's The Insider

A top scientist with one of America's largest tobacco companies is willing to go to great lengths to reveal his knowledge of the addictive-creating properties in the cigarettes.

 

The Insider is written by Eric Roth (A Star Is Born (2018)) and great Illinoisan filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Michael Mann (Thief (1981)). It is based on the 1996 Vanity Fair article The Man Who Knew Too Much by Marie Brenner (American Tragedy: The Ballad of Richard Jewell (1997)).

It's another Mann picture about two contradictory men, whose paths cross. In this case we are treated to two of the world's greatest actors, Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys (2016)) and Al Pacino (The Irishman (2019)), giving it their all in a gripping, intelligently told and thrilling story of commercial deceit.

The last 45 minutes of the film seem a bit long, - Mann might have skated through the internal CBS debacle a bit speedier. Christopher Plummer (Starcrash (1978)) portrays 60 Minutes anchorman Mike Wallace in this part of the film, and it's hard to imagine that the real-life Wallace was overly pleased with the portrait.

 

Related posts:

Michael Mann: Public Enemies (2009) - Mann heads to the 1930s 

Top 10: Best drama-thrillers reviewed by Film Excess to date 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Collateral (2004) - Great, urban, digital age thriller from Mann in his right element

Top 10: Best heist movies 

1995 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Heat (1995) - Mann's superb masculine thriller showstopper 

Manhunter (1986) - Perhaps the best criminal profiling picture ever 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 68-90 mil. $ (different reports)

Box office: 60.2 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.66-0.88 times its cost)

[The Insider premiered 28 October (Los Angeles) and runs 158 minutes. Shooting took place from May - October 1998 in Israel, California, including in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, Indiana, Bahamas and Kentucky. The film's allotted budget was 68 mil. $, but it is listed some places as 90 mil. $, indicating that perhaps Mann went way over-budget. The film opened #4, behind fellow new release The Bone Collector, holdover hit House on Haunted Hill and new release The Bachelor, to a 6.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 29 mil. $ (48.2 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning none. It lost Best Actor (Crowe) to Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, Cinematography (Dante Spinotti (Traffik (2018)) to Conrad L. Hall for American Beauty, Director to Sam Mendes for American Beauty, Editing to The Matrix, Picture to American Beauty, Sound to The Matrix and Adapted Screenplay to John Irving for The Cider House Rules. It was also nominated for a BAFTA and 5 Golden Globes and won 3 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Mann returned with Ali (2001). Crowe returned in Gladiator (2000); Pacino in Any Given Sunday (1999). The Insider is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Insider?

The Nice Guys (2016) - Good fun in Black's period buddy offering

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In warm, earthy tones and ocean blue, the two stars look inviting on this poster for Shane Black's The Nice Guys

In 1970s Los Angeles, a policeman and a private detective join forces on a case they share; of a murdered porn actress and a disappeared girl named Amelia.

 

The Nice Guys is written by Anthony Bagarozzi (Big Bad John (1990, electrician)) and co-writer/director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)).

Russell Crowe (Gladiator (2000)) and Ryan Gosling (Fracture (2007)) work impeccably as buddies, and there's no lack of fun situations and lines that spark nicely, - even if I still find it tough to link Gosling's baby face with a part as the single father of a teenage girl...

Shane obviously enjoys the moral licenses he takes by placing his plot in the grimy 70s' LA. The outcome of the gnarly, long plot is limited, but the film entertains brilliantly along the way.

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 50 mil. $

Box office: 62.7 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.25 times its cost)

[The Nice Guys premiered 10 May (Los Angeles) and runs 116 minutes. Black and Bagarozzi had written the first script in 2001, and the film had been envisioned as a TV-series in the lengthy timespan before Black took it out again and secured financing, because Crowe and Gosling both signed on to play together, each for a salary of "more than 7 mil. $". Shooting took place around October 2014 in Georgia, including in Atlanta, and in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #4, behind fellow new release The Angry Birds Movie, holdover hit Captain America: Civil War and new release Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, to a 11.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 36.2 mil. $ (57.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 4.9 mil. $ (7.8 %) and Australia with 4.3 mil. $ (6.9 %). Black returned with The Predator (2018). Crowe returned in Saturday Night Live (2016, TV-series) and theatrically in The Mummy (2017); Gosling in La La Land (2016). The Nice Guys is certified fresh at 91 % with a 7.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Nice Guys? 

The Quick and the Dead (1995) - Raimi forgets a good story in tiring 90s western style exercise

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Two name stars are caught in shadows on this dubious poster for Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead

The local king of a small western town promises a fortune to the winner of a shooting competition, which all the local sharp-shooters naturally line up for.

 

The Quick and the Dead is written by Simon Moore (Inside Out (1985, TV-series)) and directed by great Michingader filmmaker Sam Raimi (It's Murder! (1977)).

As the plot outline above suggests, there isn't much of a riveting story to be found in this artificial 90s western, which is closer to pastiche than homage. Raimi meeting the western could possibly mean either gold or horse manure, and the latter unfortunately most resembles the case with The Quick and the Dead.

The film is loaded with elements (sunglasses, the absurdly high reward prize and much else), which is very 1990s, and at the same time the stars stand out like sore thumbs in an environment that never becomes remotely authentic, funny or thrilling, which could have compensated some for the lack of authenticity.

No one esteems themselves here, although young Leonardo DiCaprio (This Boy's Life (1993)) is worth looking at here in the threshold between boy and young man. There are outstanding effects, (among them are bizarrely enormous explosions near the end), and flashy, stylish photography (by Dante Spinotti (Slipstream (2007))). But this style exercise bores more than it excites.

 

Related posts:

Sam Raimi: 2013 in films - according to Film Excess 
Evil Dead (2013) - One hell of a ride (producer)
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - A fun, eye-popping adventure

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Drag Me to Hell (2009) - Raimi returns to horror in high style
Army of Darkness (1992) or, Medieval Death   

Evil Dead II/Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) - Campbell, Spiegel and Raimi's crazy, gory classic 

 

Watch a 3-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 35 mil. $

Box office: 47 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.34 times its cost)

[The Quick and the Dead was released 10 February (North America) and runs 108 minutes. DiCaprio was paid 150k $ for his performance, - reportedly Sharon Stone (Intersection (1994)), paid it out of her salary, because she so wanted him in the film. Gene Hackman (Lucky Lady (1975)) was paid 1.3 mil. $. Shooting took place from November 1993 - February 1994 in Arizona. The film opened #2, behind Billy Madison, to a 6.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5), grossing 18.6 mil. $ (39.6 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Raimi has stated about his situation after the release of the film: "I felt very empty. And I felt that I cannot continue down this road of style. I need substance." He returned with A Simple Plan (1998). Stone returned in Roseanne (1995, TV-series)) and theatrically in Casino (1995); Hackman in Crimson Tide (1995). The Quick and the Dead is rotten at 58 % with a 5.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Quick and the Dead?

Man of Steel (2013) or, Superman v Zod: Sunset of Destruction

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Superman shoots for the sky on this animated poster for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel

 

Kal has been sent to Earth by his desperate parents to protect him from the destruction of evil ruler Zod. But evil finds him nevertheless, and his Kryptonite super-powers become necessary.

Man of Steel is a Superman franchise reboot written by David S. Goyer (Blade II (2002)), with story elements by Christopher Nolan (Following (1998)), based on the DC character by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created in 1938, and directed by Wisconsinite master filmmaker Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead (2004)).

The film starts promising with grand drama on Krypton. For some reason many years then pass, before Zod attacks Superman and planet Earth. Michael Shannon (Dead Birds (2004)) gives Zod a raging edge, but the film is over-filled with exposition; story-setting dialog and uneven generalizations as well as a few jarring uses of expletives.

The CGI effects are impressive, even when product placements are obviously the driving motif for some of them, but Man of Steel worships major destruction to an unnecessary degree.

Henry Cavill (Night Hunter (2018)) is buff beyond reason, - and sexy too, - but as in the past the problem is that the empathetic and flawless Superman is simply not an exciting (or relatable) character. He is too smooth, too ... super. It doesn't help matters that Hans Zimmer's (Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)) score, - drumming and industrial, - inevitably leads one's thoughts to Nolan's similarly dark but endlessly better three Batman spectacle pictures, which are forever linked to Zimmer's musical style.

Snyder does not manage here to refurbish the to some degree simply unmanageable Superman into the sensation that was needed.

 

Related posts:

 

Zack Snyder: Wonder Woman (2017) - Jenkins' idealistic, thrilling adventure is the best earnest superhero movie in years (story elements)

300: Rise of an Empire (2014) - Murro's off-putting 3D bore sequel (co-writer)

Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Snyder's great remake of Romero's classic

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 225 - 258 mil. $ (different reports)

Box office: 668 mil. $

= Box office success (returned between 2.58 - 2.96 times its cost)

[Man of Steel premiered 10 June (New York) and runs 143 minutes. Development began in 2008 in direct contention with the underwhelming Superman Returns (2006) by Bryan Singer. Shooting took place from August 2011 - January 2012 in British Columbia, including Vancouver, Illinois, including Chicago and in California. The film opened #1 to a 116.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#3-#5) and grossed 291 mil. $ (43.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were China with 63.4 mil. $ (9.5 %) and the UK with 46.1 mil. $ (6.9 %). According to Deadline.com the team behind the film had etched out 58 mil. $ in gross participation deals. The film reportedly earned 160+ mil. $ from promotional tie-in deals. And it made 119.4 mil. $ from domestic video sales. The film was nominated for a BAFTA, among other honors. Snyder returned with Cavill in even more successful sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Before this Snyder directed short TV documentary Superman 75 (2013). Cavill returned first in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Amy Adams (Serving Sara (2002)) in Her (2013); and Shannon in The Harvest (2013). Man of Steel is rotten at 56 % with a 6.22/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Man of Steel?

Gladiator (2000) - Experience the grandeur of the Roman Empire in Scott's dramatic masterpiece

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Star Russell Crowe stands tall on one of the most iconic posters of the 2000s, for Ridley Scott's Gladiator

Gladiator is the story of ancient Rome's best general, who gets hunted savagely, when the emperor is murdered by his mad son, and the general is demoted to become a gladiator, who changes the foundation of the empire.

Gladiator is written by David Franzoni (Amistad (1997)), John Logan (Hugo (2011)) and William Nicholson (Grey Owl (1999)) and directed by English master filmmaker Ridley Scott (The Duellists (1977)), whose 11th feature it is.
It is a magnificent spectacle, which is accompanied by some extraordinary performances from Russell Crowe (Boy Erased (2018)), Joaquin Phoenix (Hotel Rwanda (2004)), - who is really loathsome and serpentlike and yet still humanly credible as the film's villain Commodus, - Connie Nielsen (Battle in Seattle (2007)) and Oliver Reed (Blind Justice (1988)), truly terrific in his career's last role: Reed passed away from a heart attack during production, and the remaining shots of him were created with visual effects.
The cinematography by John Mathieson (Kingdom of Heaven (2005)) is matchless. The lengthy film is expertly edited, not a second too long. The suspense is intense. SPOILER The ending is a kind of beautiful song to the bliss of afterlife. Gladiator is a triumph for everyone involved.

Related posts:

Ridley Scott:  Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend 

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2008 in films - according to Film Excess 

Body of Lies (2008) - R. Scott's terror actioner is a fatiguing turkey 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess 

American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF 
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 103 mil. $
Box office: 460.5 mil. $
= Big hit (returned 4.47 times its cost)
[Gladiator premiered 1 May (Los Angeles) and runs 155 minutes. Scott envisioned Gladiator as a revitalization of the sword-and-sandal epic previously championed by Ben-Hur (1959) and Spartacus (1960). Filming began with an unfinished script; shooting took place from January - May 1999 in Malta, the UK, Italy and in California. Crowe balked at the script problems and himself came up with some of his lines. A replica about 1:3 the size of the actual Colosseum was built in Malta at the cost of 1 mil. $. Reed's sudden perishing from a heart attack during production necessitated 3.2 mil. $ spent to digitally create the roughly 2 minutes of footage with him that was not shot yet. Although Scott set out to portray the Roman empire with unheard of authenticity, the film is ripe with fictionalizations, anachronisms and changes of historical facts. The film opened #1 to a 34.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another weekend and spent another 5 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#3-#4-#5-#5), grossing 187.7 mil. $ (40.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 47.7 mil. $ (10.4 %) and France with 24.4 mil. $ (5.3 %). The film was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning 5: For Best Picture, Actor, Costumes, Sound and Visual Effects. It lost Best Supporting Actor (Phoenix) to Benicio del Toro in Traffic, Art Direction to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Cinematography also to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Peter Pau), Director to Steven Soderbergh for Traffic, Editing also to Traffic, Score (Hans Zimmer) to Dun Tan for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Original Script to Cameron Crowe for Almost Famous. It also won 2/5 Golden Globe nominations, 5/15 BAFTA nominations, an AFI award, was nominated for a European Film award and a Grammy and won 3 National Board of Review awards among many other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, translating to 4 notches lower than this one. IMDb's users have voted the film in at #41 on the site's Top 250, sitting between Psycho (1960) and City Lights (1931). Sequel plans have brewed since the film's success: Crowe engaged Nick Cave to write a script, which was eventually discarded. Another plan for a sequel plot is still in development. Scott returned with Hannibal (2001). Crowe returned in Proof of Life (2000). Gladiator is certified fresh at 77 % with a 7.27/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Gladiator?

Body of Lies (2008) - R. Scott's terror actioner is a fatiguing turkey

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+ Most Deserved Flop of the Year

Two major stars are the sole attraction on this sombre poster for Ridley Scott's Body of Lies

CIA agent Roger Ferris works to end a new Islamic terror group in the Middle East with the help of a big shot within the agency from back in the States.

Body of Lies is written by William Monahan (The Departed (2006)), based on the same-titled 2007 novel by David Ignatius (The Quantum Spy (2017)), and is the 18th film directed by English master filmmaker Ridley Scott (White Squalls (1996)).
The film starts out exciting enough with a dark dramatization of Islamic terrorism, although the group shown in the film may seem antiquated in our post-ISIS world.
But the problems for action-packed Body of Lies arrive soon after this introduction: Without scratching the surface of who the people in the foreign land who become evil terrorists are, the film relies primarily on floating as a tense star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond (2006)) as field agent Ferris and Russell Crowe (Proof (1991)) as his cynical phone-line boss. But DiCaprio turns in a shallow performance as a frustrated pottymouth, who succumbs to a local nurse in a romance that we only get very little of in the otherwise very long and tedious action-thriller. And Crowe portrays another superficially drawn character; a preoccupied, headset-wearing father.
If we learn anything at all from watching Body of Lies, it is that the results are muddled, when one attempts to engage against evil in the Middle East. - So if you are tired of cacophonous news from the region from the everyday news, this film feels as anything but entertainment. I count it among the turkeys of Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott:  Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2008 in films - according to Film Excess 

American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF 
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News 

DiCaprio talks about his work on the film here

Cost: 67.5-70 mil. $ (different reports)
Box office: 115.9 $
= Big flop (1.65-1.71 times the cost)
[Body of Lies premiered 5 October (New York) and runs 128 minutes. Shooting took place in Morocco, including Rabat, Amman, Jordan, in Maryland, including Baltimore, Virginia and Washington DC from September - December 2007. Shooting in Dubai was refused permission for political reasons. Crowe reportedly gained 63 pounds for his performance, - which seems a highly dubious 'fact'. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Beverly Hills Chihuahua and fellow new release Quarantine, to a disappointing 12.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it fell out of the top 5 in its second week and grossed a measly 39.3 mil. $ (33.9 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 9.6 mil. $ (8.3 %) and Spain with 7.5 mil. $ (6.5 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a a 3/4 star review, translating to three notches better than this one. The film made in excess of 23 mil. $ in domestic home video sales, which might change its status to merely 'flop' if added in, (and the lowest 67.5 mil. cost is taken to be the accurate number). Scott returned with Robin Hood (2010), again starring Crowe, a much bigger flop. Crowe returned in Tenderness (2009), and DiCaprio in Sam Mendes' masterpiece Revolutionary Road (2008). Body of Lies is rotten at 55 % with a 5.8/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Body of Lies?