The Informant Review

Posted by Erik Luers on 09.21.2009

Not Soderbergh's best, not Soderbergh's worst......

Matt Damon ... Mark Whitacre
Melanie Lynskey ... Ginger Whitacre
Tom Papa ... Mick Andreas
Rick Overton ... Terry Wilson
Thomas F. Wilson ... Mark Cheviron (as Tom Wilson)
Scott Bakula ... FBI Special Agent Brian Shepard
Joel McHale ... FBI Special Agent Bob Herndon








Steven Soderbergh's new film, The Informant, takes a serious issue and plays it for laughs. This is a strange choice, given the current economic climate and the greediness of the higher ups in corporate America, and it only occasionally works. The film's tone is constantly being shifted from one extreme (goofy comedy) to another (serious drama), and one has to wonder if the film believes in its subject, or even cares for him. That man in question is Mark Whitacre, employee of the food producing Archer Daniels Midland, a company that was suspected of price fixing in the mid 1990s. Whitacre, suspecting illegal activity, went undercover for the FBI for two and a half years, and wound up doing more harm to himself than the company he was trying to report; he was guilty of as much stuff as they were. Was he naïve, mentally ill, or just plain dumb? Confusingly, the film implies all three.

Whitacre was (or rather, is) a complicated man, one who tried to play the good guy to any group or organization that would listen, i.e. the FBI, the press, and other media. The man had a family, a nice house, eight cars, a good job, and a solid reputation, so what would persuade him to throw it all away? Simple, he wanted to play the role of hero, taking down the bad guys and fixing ADM for the sake of the economy and consumers everywhere. There was a catch, however, as he wanted to retain his job after the news of the scandal (and his undercover role in exposing it) broke out. That's like insulting a gang and then wanting to become their leader.

The two federal agents Whitacre has the most contact with, Brian Shepard and Bob Herndon (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale, respectively), are shocked at his obliviousness, and decide to shy away from the subject instead. Slowly, Whitacre realizes that his job may be in question and so he starts talking to everyone and their mother about how he is the real victim. Too late. By throwing ADM into the public spotlight, the feds uncover dirt on Whitacre that turns the entire investigation in another direction, and the irony of the situation is that Whitacre had supplied all the evidence. Unbeknownst to him, Whitacre ratted himself out. Maybe he thought he was invincible or maybe he thought that, in comparison, his illegal activity wouldn't look so bad, but oh was he wrong. You ever hear about people that are caught speeding with drugs in their car? Eventually you'll get caught for one or the other, and one will always look just as bad, if not worse, than the other.

And yet I kept wondering as to whether or not we were supposed to feel bad for this man. Right at the start, the film gives him a quirky voice over narration that makes him seem dellusional and strangely sincere. While surveying his town, he predicts that outlet shops will soon take over the community. Conversing with Shepard, Whitacre wonders to himself why the man chose to wear such an ugly tie. Upon arriving at a hotel to discuss the dreaded price fixing situation, he thinks to himself about how polar bears can remain incognito out in the Artic. He seems like a nice resident of Iowa that just happens to be a little off. His mind is always racing with funny observations and concerns, and we smile because he seems to see things a little differently than us “normal folk”. When confronted with a bunch of ants in a bathroom stall at O'Hare, Whitacre ponders how easily the little insects have it.

Perhaps these voiceovers were created to humanize him and let us know that, while he was confused, he certainly wasn't evil or ill willed. He was a caring family man who just happened to see things a little differently. As the film progresses though, we realize that he was anything but simpleminded. The voiceover narration warms us up to this man and then pulls the rug out from under us. Although I found that frustrating, I cannot deny that it works. He becomes a sad, deeply disturbed and tragic man, one who may be suffering from bi-polar disorder. When, in one scene in the Whitacre living room late in the film, his wife starts to notice his disability (the audience observes Whitacre battling with the lies and the voices in his head) we realize that this is a hurt figure, one that did wrong and didn't realize it. He was a lying optimist.

Now onto more technical aspects. The score composed for the film, created by Academy Award winner Marvin Hamlisch, is, I must admit, entirely wrong for this kind of movie. It sounds like a happy go lucky 1950s television sitcom, and whenever things get serious, the score comes in to show just how dopey these characters are. I understand that it goes along with the comedy aspect of the film but the tone of the music contrasts what we are seeing on screen. It serves to disable the drama, and this 1990s tale begins to feel like an undiscovered Leave it to Beaver episode where Wally has to expose Sputnik to the unsuspecting world.

I also questioned the font used in certain scenes to establish our current location. It possesses a 1960s reefer induced feel that reminded me of Ang Lee's disappointing movie from three weeks ago, Taking Woodstock. It's too groovy, and it doesn't fit the period. For a film that takes place in the 90s (and in the final ten minutes, the 2000s), The Informant showcases a 1950s score and 1960s intertitles. The outfits and hairstyles also look very 1970s, but enough complaining.

The cinematography by Peter Andrews (a frequent Soderbergh collaborator due to the fact that it is an alias for Soderbergh himself) is appropriately yellow and orange, emphasizing the corn and sunny Iowa feel of the entire film. The ADM offices appear as if corn is bursting through their walls, and Whitacre's home also looks as if it were built by using ears upon ears of corn. While there are moments where Soderbergh uses too much sunlight (the company jet sequence, for example), it isn't too ugly or distracting. It must be said that The Informant is most definitely a visual improvement over Soderbergh's last picture, The Girlfriend Experience. All of that Warner Bros' studio money must have helped tremendously.

I just now realized that I haven't even told you who plays our complex antihero, Mark Whitacre. Matt Damon, another frequent Soderbergh muse, plays the man for all he's worth, giving a remarkable, awards caliber performance. I imagine playing a role such as this in a movie with style such as this was a task that must have seemed daunting to Damon at first. His character is the movie. Damon understands all of the layers, and in closeup (usually during the voiceovers), we can see the actor really working hard, so much that it is at times painful to watch (in a good way though). I won't talk about the weight gain because there's been enough talk of that elsewhere, but you'll see and marvel for yourself. The closing minutes of the film leave you angry and sympathetic towards Whitacre, and Damon must be credited for this emotional back and forth. I also would like to single out Melanie Lynskey's effective performance as Whitacre's wife, as she plays the loyal and caring wife that starts to suspect the worse of her husband. She is the goodhearted anchor of the piece in a film that is all about corruption and selfish greed.

The Informant is a strange movie about a strange man, so I guess you could call it a match made in cinematic heaven. It left me scratching my head. It's a comedy about a serious issue. Maybe Soderbergh was intrigued by the irony in which one man, determined to stop one company's illegal practices, wound up revealing to the world just how corrupt he was himself. From that description, yes, Whitacre does not sound very bright, but the film shows that there was more to him that that. He was mentally unwell (assuming that wasn't just another one of his multiple lies), but he covered for it pretty well. He was the kind of person everyone liked but no one really knew. He was also unashamedly honest, which leads me to believe that he truly believed in what he was doing, and is that something we should laugh at, or be afraid of?

The 411: The Informant is a film I am mildly recommending for it's interesting story and excellent lead performance. Matt Damon was an intriguing choice for the role of Mark Whitacre, and he does remarkable work here. I do however question the tone of this film. Did it need to be a comedy? Couldn't this story have been filmed as a thriller? As a political drama? The film's true story demands better treatment. I cannot fault the film for what it is not though, just for what it is. It's confused and all over the map, but there are good people involved that make it somewhat work. Somewhat. It's a bio-pic that isn't concerned with the bio aspect. All we can do is speculate.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]