GET REEL: Whistleblowers are the heroes of these 19 movies

Whistleblowers are typically spurred into action when they see a wrong and want it righted. Or they see a wrong and want to profit from revealing it. Or they think they see a wrong that isn’t really a wrong and end up blowing their whistle in a padded cell.

But let’s assume the whistleblower isn’t crazy, though he or she may be alone in that assessment. That’s because doing the right thing often results in the whistleblower being wronged, or not receiving the hero treatment he or she deserves. Aware that whistleblowing could be hazardous to their health or career, some prefer to remain anonymous, serving as a conduit of information and letting others do the whistleblowing for them.

In many cases, at least the ones that Hollywood has turned into films, the people who become whistleblowers end up running against the wind, and Hollywood loves making movies where the underdogs suffer for what they believe in, going against all odds, waging a David and Goliath struggle until they emerge victorious… or really unhappy. Or both.

Listed below in alphabetical order are 19 feature films about whistleblowers based on or inspired by true stories. Are there more than 19? Sure, but that’s all we have room for, and most of these are really worth watching. And I’m not just whistleblowing Dixie.

“ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN” (1976) – The film focuses on the Watergate scandal that would eventually lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and BobWoodward, played by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, respectively, receive invaluable information during their investigation from a mysterious whistleblower whom they dub “Deep Throat.” Years later, the whistleblower revealed himself as FBI agent Mark Felt, who became the subject of a film himself, 2017’s “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House,” starring Liam Neeson in the title role. “All the President’s Men” won four Oscars, including best supporting actor (Jason Robards) and best screenplay (William Goldman).

“ERIN BROCKOVICH” (2000) – Julia Roberts won the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Brockovich, a lawyer who brings a class action suit against a large utility, alleging that it has contaminated the soil and that this contamination is leading to an inordinately high amount of cancer cases in a small town. To win the case, Brockovich relies on people in this town to do the right thing even if some work for the utility. Talk about biting the hand the feeds you, even if the food is poisoned.

“FAIR GAME” (2010) - The film tells the story of Valerie Plame and Joseph C. Wilson, a married couple whose lives get discombobulated when Wilson, working as a diplomat, pens an article in The New York Times refuting the Bush administration’s claim that Iraq is using yellowcake uranium to build weapons of mass destruction. Apparently, the administration didn’t appreciate the article and Plame’s cover as a CIA agent gets blown as retaliation. Plame loses her job, her marriage crumbles and it looks like the administration is going to have its yellowcake and it eat, too. Will the two reconcile and do battle against the powerful White House? I’ll never tell. Naomi Watts and Sean Penn star.

“THE FIFTH ESTATE” (2013) – The film details the relationship of Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, whose website reveals several wrongdoings. But problems arise when subsequent revelations seem to be doing more harm than good. Domscheit-Berg eventually breaks with Assange, who eventually ends up in prison. In the film, Benedict Cumberbatch plays Assange and Daniel Bruhl plays Domscheit-Berg. Sometimes, whistleblowers can become their own worst enemy.

“GOODFELLAS” (1990) and “THE VALACHI PAPERS” (1972) – It’s typically not a good idea if you value breathing to be an informant against the mob. But that’s just what Henry Hill and Joe Valachi did without ending up as fish fodder. “GoodFellas” is rightly considered one of the greatest gangster movies in the biz. It was nominated for a slew of Oscars, including best picture, and won the best supporting actor Oscar for Joe Pesci. Ray Liotta plays Hill. “The Valachi Papers” clearly suffers by comparison, and coming out in the same year as “The Godfather” probably didn’t help either. Charles Bronson plays Valachi.

“THE INFORMANT!” (2009) - This film depicts the whistleblowing exploits of Mark Whitacre, an executive at Archer Daniels Midland who blows the whistle on his company's involvement in a price-fixing conspiracy. Whitacre, however, has some serious mental issues, which the whistleblowing only exacerbates. Let’s just say that Whitacre does more than inform. Matt Damon plays Whitacre.

“THE INSIDER” (1999) – A fictionalized account of a true story, this film focuses on the "60 Minutes" segment about Jeffrey Wigand, a whistleblower in the tobacco industry, and covers his struggles as well as those of producer Lowell Bergman as they defend Wigrand’s testimony against industry efforts to discredit it and CBS’ efforts to suppress the story. It’s not a pretty picture. Al Pacino plays Bergman and Russell Crowe plays Wigrand.

“NORMA RAE” (1979) and “NORTH COUNTRY” (2005) – Both films chronicle the efforts of women who face considerable obstacles and hardships to improve their working conditions, one at a textile factory, the other at an iron mine. Sally Field won the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Norma Rae Wilson, aka Crystal Lee Sutton. Charlize Theron was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Josey Aimes, aka Lois Jensen. For you trivia mavens out there, “North Country” is a fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States.

"OFFICIAL SECRETS" (2019) - This film, about British whistleblower Katherine Gun, opened Friday - talk about timing. In the film, Gun, played by Keira Knightley, leaks a secret memo exposing an illegal spying operation by the U.S. government, looking for information with which to blackmail UN diplomats tasked to vote on a resolution regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Gun's superiors and the British government don't approve of her actions. Anyone who thought the Iraq War was an outrage will likely be outraged further. 

“ON THE WATERFRONT” (1954) – This is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made. Marlon Brando won a best actor Oscar for his powerhouse portrayal of Terry Malloy, a once promising boxer who now works on the docks for a very corrupt union boss. Will Terry do the right thing and blow the whistle on the union boss? Complicating this decision is the fact that that his brother is the union boss’ right-hand man. The movie also won Oscars for best picture, best supporting actress (Eva Marie Saint, in her film debut), best screenplay (Budd Schulberg) and best director (Elia Kazan).

“THE POST” (2017) – Daniel Ellsberg, one of this country’s more famous whistleblowers – or infamous, depending on your political bent – released documents, known as the Pentagon Papers, showing that the war in Vietnam wasn’t exactly going smoothly for the United States. The White House didn't appreciate these revelations and wasn’t too keen on seeing them published in the Washington Post, a paper now being run by Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper. Graham faces a difficult decision on whether to publish the papers. You'll never guess what she does. Meryl Streep was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Graham. The film was also nominated for a best picture Oscar. Matthew Rhys plays Elllsberg, who would also be the subject of "The Pentagon Papers" (2003), where James Spader portrays Ellsberg, and "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" (2009), a documentary.

“SERPICO” (1973) and “PRINCE OF THE CITY” (1980) – Both movies focus on police officers who expose police corruption and pay the price as their actions don’t endear themselves to their fellow men in blue. Being an informant in the company of people with guns can get dicey. Trust becomes tricky, too. For playing New York City cop Frank Serpico, Al Pacino was nominated for a best actor Oscar. In “Prince of the City,” Treat Williams plays New York City narcotics detective Danny Ciello, aka Robert Leuci.

“SNOWDEN” (2016) and “CITIZENFOUR” (2014) – Both films tell the tale of Edward Snowden, a disillusioned U.S. government official who releases classified information on illegal surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency. For some reason, the U.S. government becomes irritated by Snowden’s disclosure and he becomes a high-profile persona non grata. A White House invitation is not likely in his future. In the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Snowden. If you have you choose between the two, watch the Oscar-winning documentary. Its title refers to Snowden’s “secret name.”

“SPOTLIGHT” (2015) - Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning series of stories penned by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team – hence the film’s title - the movie uncovers cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by several Roman Catholic priests, with the church hierarchy complicit in the abuse by covering it up as best they can. The reporters face a daunting task of getting victims to tell their painful stories and then corroborating them. For some reason, the church doesn’t want to cooperate. The film won the best picture Oscar and best screenplay Oscar for Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy. If you wonder why a free press is important, here’s Exhibit “A”.

“THE WHISTLEBLOWER” (2010) – Truth in advertising here. The film is inspired by the story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer recruited as a United Nations peacekeeper for DynCorp International in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999. While there, she discovers a sex trafficking ring operated by DynCorp employees. When Bolkovac attempts to expose the ring, she’s fired. Can’t imagine why. She then takes her story to the BBC and files a wrongful-dismissal lawsuit against DynCorp. In the film, Rachel Weisz plays Bolkovac.