A great insider story is about a protagonist navigating and subverting the structures that define their world. Those structures can be external, such as an Evil Empire or internal, like their own limiting beliefs. The key is to deliver the character’s journey as a series of arcs with internal conflict that exists alongside (rather than instead of) external conflict.
The 1999 drama The Insider is an example of a well-crafted insider story. Directed by Michael Mann and written by Eric Roth, it is based on Marie Brenner’s 1996 Vanity Fair article, “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” The film follows 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman’s attempts to convince Jeffrey Wigand to reveal his knowledge of the tobacco industry. Wigand, a scientist with Brown & Williamson, is convinced his former employers suppressed research showing the addictive powers of nicotine. But to go public, he must first break an ironclad confidentiality agreement.
A lesser filmmaker could have made this into a “docudrama” filled with endless scenes of lawyers and corporate bureaucrats wrangling for privileged information. But Mann knows how to create atmosphere, and he gets the most out of his star, Russell Crowe. The actor gained 35 pounds for the role, aging himself to match his character’s experience and age. And he consulted real tobacco industry insiders to ensure accuracy. He also improvised many of his most fiery monologues and studied Mike Wallace’s mannerisms to replicate his delivery. The result is a scathing indictment of greed, power and journalism.