Warner Bros. Pictures | US | 108 mins
Warning: This review contains minor spoilers.
Director Steven Soderbergh is one of the most renowned filmmakers working today, so when a film of his comes out, pure excitement ensues. The Informant! completely lives up to that excitement, easily one of the funniest films of the year. It’s, in many ways, a dark and intelligent spoof of espionage films. The film pokes fun at many aspects featured in noir and conspiracy thriller films. It covers everything from recorded conversations to bugged phone lines. This is one of Soderbergh’s more successful commercial films and while the Ocean series was very entertaining, none of those films are on this level.
Mark Whitacre (played by Matt Damon) is an up-and-coming Midwestern company man who works for a corn company called Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), a job that he takes much pride in. After being blackmailed by a foreign company, Whitacre gets involved with the FBI. Soon he’s telling them all the company’s dirty secrets, including illegal practices like price fixing. Soon he finds himself working as a mole with the help of two nice guy FBI agents, played by Scott Bakula and Joel McHale. Whitacre in return is playing his own game of espionage — turning against the company he truly loves.
The story is highly similar to films like The Insider and even A Beautiful Mind, except with jokes. It satires the outlandish and smaller moments in thrillers, and it completely works. These are the film’s most hilarious moments. One aspect this story actual gets right that most thrillers cannot is that there’s hardly any preconceived notions met about the characters — mainly Mark. This isn’t a predictable nor contrived story line; the film contains a good amount of satisfying surprises. The first act is a perfect set up for Mark and his seemingly unrelenting passion for his job. The second act is where the most memorable moments come into play with Mark working heavily with the FBI. The final act is where a few of the believable surprises show up, none of these plot points come off ridiculous or implausible.
Damon delivers one of his most engaging and best performances yet as the dumb smart guy. He crafts Mark Whitacre into a likable and even sympathetic man at first. One of the most unique aspects of his performances is his terrific narration. At numerous points his narration wanders into irrelevant matters and it really adds an authentic feel to the narrative. When one thinks to themselves, said mind is not always consistently on task, and that realism is portrayed beautifully through the internal narration. It’s a hilarious performance and it’s one of the best to grace the screen this year. The only really unsatisfying factor is how underused Melaine Lynskey is as Whitacre’s wife, Ginger. Her character is mostly oblivious towards Mark’s actions, but this plot point could have been developed to a further extent. Lynskey is very good in the role, but her character is undeniably one-note. Bakula, as Mark’s FBI buddy Brian Shepard, is a real scene stealer here. He’s constantly baffled by Mark’s actions and yet still remains understanding and confident that his informant is a good man. As a side note, Tony Hale and Thomas F. Wilson are unfortunately stuck in small roles and yet still standout thanks to surprisingly poised performances.
Soderbergh brings a slick and stylistic aesthetic with his new shtick, the Red One camera. Between this and his excellent epic Che, he’s proven himself as a true master of the digital format. He keeps scenes brightly lit which lends the film an old fashion thriller look, fitting the tone of the film perfectly. The film is shot in a simplistic manner with no overly glossy or standout shots. This isn’t like Ocean’s 13 with constant split screens and a bright color scheme. It has a much more naturalistic feel.
The Informant! is a consistently funny and involving comedy with a perfect blend of satire. Any Soderbergh fan won’t be disappointed. Especially the ones who haven’t been satisfied with his more commercial work. This film features an array of fantastic aspects such as Damon’s terrific performance, Soderbergh’s more-than impressive visual playfulness and plenty of unpredictable plot twists.