A true story becomes a comedy-thriller in the hands of director Steven Soderbergh. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, an Ivy League Ph.D. who was an executive at agri-business giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Illinois in the early 1990s.
Whitacre agreed to go undercover to help the FBI confirm price-fixing accusations but eventually cracked from the pressure. After working undercover for years, he became extremely manic, stopped sleeping during most nights, and was seen using a gas leaf blower on his driveway during a thunderstorm at three o'clock in the morning.
New Zealander Melanie Lynskey plays Whitacre's wife.
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
Matt Damon is terrific here, poles apart from his turn as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne. As Mark Whitacre, a scientist turned businessman at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland, he’s podgy with a ‘tache and bouffant hair. We watch the character gleefully entangle himself in a self-spearheaded FBI investigation into his own company’s price-fixing conspiracy, barely suppressing enthusiasm as he blusters his way through a drab, depressing corporate landscape, full of venetian blinds and boxy computer monitors.
The production design is perfect, transporting us straight back to 1992 (which in this stagnant area of America still means late ‘80s). The supporting cast is strong, ranging from Scott Bakula as a compassionate yet beleaguered federal agent, and Kiwi Melanie Lynskey as a sweet yet helpless wife (visually, straight out of those faded family portraits with the marble-y blue backgrounds).
Unfortunately, the film is less funny than expected. Despite the laboured efforts of the terrible jazzy lounge music on the soundtrack, The Informant is just too dowdy to maintain any decent sense of tension or comedy. It’s ugly, too, with Soderbergh’s camerawork bathed in an unappealing yellow.
The Informant is not quite a hilarious comedy, not quite a tense corporate thriller, not quite an insightful character study. It’s another curiousity tossed off by hot-and-cold director Soderbergh, yet one showcasing Damon at his best.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
ive said it all rubbish
Generally agree with the Flicks review, but would give it another .5.
I disagree with the throwaway assertion that this is a throwaway curiosity, I think there is a certain strength in the meta-ness, the idea that it is a film about a character who thinks and acts as if he is in a film, and he's not, but really he is. The film raises fascinating questions about motivation, legal responsibility and mental illness. Just because it's not laced with kick-you-in-the-balls gags or snappy one-liners doesn't mean that it's not funny. It's rare to see a film where voice-overs are done so well, and again it's subtle, but they are used effectively and sympathetically to lead to the final conclusion about Whitacre's mental state.
This film really made me question the $16 it cost me to watch. I feel ripped off... The thing looks like a bad res-youtube video.... Soderbergh you suck...
As Soderbergh lovingly peels away veil after veil of deception, the film develops into an unexpected human comedy. Not that any of the characters are laughing.
It sets out to be less pompous than similar films, which inevitably means it feels less substantial. While amusing rather than hilarious, it ought to establish Matt Damon as a star character actor.
The whole film, a comedy about crime and mental illness, seems at war with itself.
Good, lighthearted fun with a great performance by Matt Damon.
There is devilish fun in this look into 1990s white-collar crime. But the jokes are the kind you choke on.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 3rd Dec 2009.
Release date: December 3rd 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
