During a time when scandals and corporate takedowns are the norm, director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11) brings us The Informant! (Warner Bros.), based on the true story of Mark Whitacre. Whitacre was a rising star for Archer Daniels Midland), a central Illinois based agricultural company, when he decided to become an informer for the FBI. Not only was Whitacre the highest ranking executive ever to turn whistle blower, he also had many mental issues and defrauded his own company while working for the FBI, all while still having aspirations to become president of ADM.
In The Informant!, Matt Damon (Bourne Ultimatum) plays Whitacre and gives a convincing and intensely comedic performance. Wearing a goofy mustache, an ugly hairdo and packing on 30 plus pounds for the role, Damon dives head first into the role of the bipolar informer. Whitacre is portrayed as an over-enthusiastic, delusional, yet extremely intelligent man who comes off as a goober of sorts.
Damon provides constant voiceovers for the film, revealing an insight into Whitacre’s mind. Though sometimes he thinks about things relevant to what’s happening around him, at other times his insights are scatterbrained and show signs of lack of interest or paranoia. These frequent voiceovers tie the film together and make it work, providing a good amount of the film’s humor.
Scott Bakula (from TV’s “Enterprise” and “Quantum Leap”) has the second largest amount of screen time as FBI Special Agent Brian Shepard, the first agent Whitacre confesses his and ADM’s crimes to. Bakula plays well off of Damon in their many scenes together, and, along with his partner FBI Agent Bob Herndon (Joel McHale, “The Soup”) forms a fondness for Whitacre and tries to cover-up his mistakes and prevent him from getting arrested. Whitacre’s wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey, “Two and a Half Men”) is in on her husband’s dealings and schemes, but she realizes, in the end, that Mark has goals and plans that are ludicrous.
Comedians such as Bob Zany, Tony Hale, Scott Adsit, Patton Oswalt and Dick Smothers give the film a rather ironic feel, since they normally do stand-up or play it straight on sitcoms. All involved in the film turn in solid performances, but The Informant! is basically the Matt Damon show.
The Informant! revels in irony, the driving force behind the movie. The film takes place mostly in the early ’90s, yet the outfits and color palette give it a ’70s feel. The upbeat, bouncy music is reminiscent of classic spy shows and blooper reels. Though the film deals with corporate cultures and fraud on the highest level, it mostly takes place in small towns like Decatur, Ill. and Springfield, Ill. (there are some portions that were shot in St. Louis, as well).
The one problem with the film, and it’s a rather striking one, is the slightly off-putting reaction an audience is likely to have. Though the pacing is decent, but everything that happens is rather repetitive. Whitacre constantly tells the FBI one thing, retracts what he says and gets himself into more trouble. This occurs several times, and the FBI keeps playing his games. Everything that happens is so trivialized and convoluted, that it’s difficult to develop any real attachment to the story or to the characters.
Nevertheless, The Informant! is not a bad film. It is darkly funny and interesting at times, but something just seems like it’s missing. That being said, the film is worth the price of admission for Matt Damon’s performance alone.
