The Informant

The Informant (2009)
Directed by Steven Soderberg
Starring Matt Damon, Lucas McHugh Carroll, Eddie Jemison

Off beat comedy based on a remarkable true story. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a corporate executive for ADM (drug-manufacturer) who turned out to be one of the 'highest paid' whistler blowers to emerge from corporate America. Whitacre was a biochemist with a conscience (or so it seemed) who worked as an informant for the FBI, helping to expose the ADM 'lysine price fixing conspiracy' of the 90's. Whitacre wears a wire for 3years working with the FBI making tapes, betraying his colleagues and the damaging effect on his mental health is what the story focuses on, his unraveling and its fun to watch. Damon does a grand job, overweight and out of touch.

Whitacre is a simple, uncomplicated man with a good wife, sweet kids and a penchant for fast cars. He loves money and is a corporate kiss-ass, meanwhile he is burning the house down under his bosses noses. He leads the FBI on a wild goose chase for many years, lying, planting false evidence, weaving stories to detract and cover up the fact that he defrauded ADM for $11 million dollars (in illegal kickbacks from company deals). Whitacre stashes the stolen money in Swiss accounts and didnt report it to IRS. In exposing the company he worked for he exposed himself and end up ironically being sentenced to jail-time 3x that of the white collar criminals he helped convict.

The film is typical Soderberg with a layered narrative. It's exciting and moves fast. The film is kept fresh with lots of new faces in the cast. The pacing is tight as it scans through quite a few years in less than two hours. Damon makes this film, his performance is obtuse and vulnerable, he is a man on the edge and plays it perfectly. Ive always liked him but have often thought he chose easy roles; this role was a challenge, different for him and he pulled it off.

My fav-movie of Soderbergs's is 'Traffic' also I love 'Sex, Lies and Videotape'. This isn't his best, but its better than the Oceans 11 series, its different, political and corporate, making it less appealing to a mass audience. I was suprised, didnt think I would like this movie going in, but I actually enjoyed it thoroughly. With every film Damon makes I like him more and more; the Bourne movies were great (he kicked ass in them) but with The Informant he gets to show his chops and its refreshing. Soderberg is a movie-factory he pumps them out. He is one of the most prolific film-makers of our generation, every now and then he makes an important film that people need to see. This is one of those films.

Must rent DVD.