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Timothy P. Scanlon |
Date: 2009-10-04
I went to see this not sure what to expect. I anticipated a slightly preachy film, about a guy who turned in a corporation--which, doubtless, deserved to be turned in. But from the beginning, from the music to the the Mark Whitacre's (Matt Damon at his best) solilogies, I found it incredibly entertaining!
First, the solioquies. (That may not be the right term. Perhaps I should call them arias. They were the lead characters reflections, someone called them "stream of consciousness." Scott Burns who wrote the screenplay must be a little teched in the haid to have even written them, but they were hysterical!)
Yeah, yeah, ADM was corrupt. And, while I like exposes of corporations that need to be regulated, documentaries can be a tad sanctimonious. That, in fact, is what makes Micheal Moore popular. He puts an entertaining, populist mood to an otherwise grim subject, and people like it! But it seems that Whitacre is equally or more corrupt. Note, for example, that he brings up a number, I think the amount he's making, throughout the script. And every time he uses the number, to FBI agent Brian Shepard, the number grows. It's hysterical, though, I confess, my wife noticed the number issue before I did!
There is not-terribly-clear reference to how many cars Whitacre has. And every time he opens his mouth, something different comes out, usually contradicting what he'd said before. Then he goes into another soliloqy/aria in which he reflects on something either un- or distantly-related to the subject at hand. It was hysterical.
And just the looks on the agents' faces make wathching the film worthwhile! Expressionism at its finest.
And be prepared to see a few cameos of people you might not expect in a movie. When ADM bureaucrats came into the room with Whitacre, I leaned to my wife and asked, "Is that Tommy Smothers?" Sure enough. And Dickie was, later in the script, a judge. (We'd seen them not long ago at the Kennedy Center so it was nice to see 'em again in a different context!)
As to the soundtrack, I love film soundtracks, but don't buy many these days. This one I will get, as it'll remind me of a finely entertaining experience. And when the film comes out on DVD, yep, I'll get that too.
Sorry, but those who didn't like the film missed the point. This is one I'll recommend to anyone, and should be up for an award or two!
Thanks Steve Soderbergh!
Kris King |
Date: 2009-09-20
"The Informant" is excellent! This is how the story goes: What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company's multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn't been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. Whitacre's ever-changing account frustrates the agents and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre's rambling imagination. Based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history.
The cast led by Matt Damon (as Whitacre) is excellent! The directing and cinematography (under the name Peter Andrews) by Steven Soderbergh (who also directed and did the cinematography to "Ocean's 11, 12, & 13" (2001, 2004, & 2007) (all three also starred Damon and George Clooney, the first two also starred Julia Roberts), "Traffic" (2000), "Out Of Sight" (1998, also starring Clooney), "Solaris" (2002, also starred Clooney, and also wrote the screenplay and did the film editing under the name Mary Ann Bernard) & "Erin Brockovich" (2000, also starring Roberts) is excellent! The screenplay (based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald, who also produced) by Scott Z. Burns (who also wrote the screenplay to "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007, which also starred Damon) is excellent!
The music by Marvin Hamlisch (who also did the music to "Three Men And A Baby" (1987) is excellent! The film editing by Stephen Mirrione (who has been working with Soderbergh since "Traffic") is excellent! The casting by Carmen Cuba (who was a casting associate on "Erin Brockovich") is excellent! The production design by Doug J. Meerdink (who also did the art direction to "Ocean's Thirteen") is excellent! The art direction by Billy Hunter (who also did the art direction to "Ocean's Thirteen" & did the set decoration to "Star Trek" (2008), "Ocean's Twelve", & the upcoming "Alice In Wonderland" (2010) & "Sucker Punch" (2011) & David Scott is excellent! The set decoration by Daniel B. Clancy (who also did the set decoration to "Tropic Thunder" (2008), the upcoming "Couples Retreat" (2009) & "Red Dawn" (2010) & Curtis Maneno is excellent! The costume design by Shoshana Rubin is excellent!
This is an excellent dramedy that keeps you intrigued and laughing at the same time. This is one of the best films of the year, so far. Damon gives an eccentric performance that works to his advantage.
Craig Whittle |
Date: 2010-04-10
THE INFORMANT!
STARRING: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Melanie Lynskey, Allan Havey, Joel McHale, Eddie Jemison, Scott Adsit and Tom Papa
WRITTEN BY: Scott Z. Burns; based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald
DIRECTED BY: Steven Soderbergh
Rated: R
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: 18 September 2009
What makes The Informant! a great film, is the performance of Matt Damon. How he wasn't nominated here is beyond me. He put on 30 pounds for this, and some of the best comedians out there could not have played this part as funny as Damon does. He's absolutely hysterical.
His name is Mark Whitacre. He will remind you of countless people you have met in your life that have gotten under your skin. There are so many of them out there, that there's a chance a good portion of you reading this, could be among them! GOSSIPERS and or HABITUAL LIARS; people who live to spread rumors and lies and then sit back and watch how it all unravels. Why? I don't know why exactly, and I can't imagine being capable of doing it. But having seen the humorous effects it has in this film, you can at least appreciate the entertainment value it must reward these obscure individuals with.
The company Whitacre works for may or may night be involved in price fixing. He runs with a hunch to the FBI. Soon enough, they are interviewing him and he is ecstatic. He often makes comments on the comparisons his situation has to that of one in any given `Crichton novel.'
He has his wife involved, co-workers and friends are involved, and he seems to be telling each of them a slightly different version of the same story. The two FBI agents helping him are played perfectly by Scott Bakula and Joel McHale, and soon enough, they fall victim to his charades as well.
What started as a simple investigation into price fixing, spans over several years and turns into a multi-million dollar scandal. The FBI has Whitacre wearing a wire for several of those years, in which he humorously narrates everything that is happening for the annoyed agents. Matter of fact, he narrates the entire film for us, in a series of very well written tidbits of useless trivia and conspiracy theories. These were some of the film's highlights.
He also has a few attorneys take an interest in his case. At one point, immediately before walking into a prestigious meeting with some big-wigs, he tells the lawyers flat-out, "Listen, I haven't been tellin' you guys the whole truth... but I'm gonna clear that up in there today." They swallow their tongues in desperate shock; we swallow ours in fits of rolling laughter. The film is more than deserving of its obnoxious explanation point at the end of the title.
dolphindave |
Date: 2010-04-29
I can't believe the critics largely panned this film, as I found it extraordinarily entertaining, with subtleties of humor (aka "The Office") that had me laughing out loud. It also has an intriguing story-line that will keep you riveted to the couch. What a pleasant surprise it was to stumble upon this overlooked treasure.
Happy Camper |
Date: 2009-09-19
This is one incredibly bizarre story! It's also quite funny, I laughed out loud quite a few times. At the end, it's also quite troubling.
I remember following this story in the Wall Street Journal. I now realize I only knew half the story. I recall being outraged at Mr. Whitacre's treatment by the Justice Department for acting as their spy for three years and then being indicted as his "reward" for all his hard work in bringing down, single-handedly, a worldwide criminal Enterprise. (No pun intended for you Trekies reading this!) I now know there's so many twists and turns in this story you could easily write the proverbial book!
The end is ironic because it brings up a lot of important issues I can't discuss without spoiling the movie. It really catches you off guard on so many different levels! I even now have an insight into an old friend I haven't seen in many years, who behaved in a similar fashion to Mr. Whitacre.
I think it's important to keep in mind that the real story is ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) (no pun intended again for you Trekies starting to put two and two together!) an incredibly powerful transnational corporation that cost the world's consumers billions of dollars. We get to see at the very end of The Informant what happened to all the key players. It's very troubling, indeed. The Supreme Court ruled in the 19th century that corporations have many of the rights of a living, breathing person. Too bad they don't get punished to the same degree a real person does!
See:Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights and Challenging corporate personhood: corporations, the U.S. constitution and Democracy. (Interview).(Jan Edwards of the Women's International League for Peace ... An article from: Multinational Monitor and The I Hate Corporate America Reader: How Big Companies from McDonald's to Microsoft Are Destroying Our Way of Life (The "I Hate" Series) and Corporate Crime and Violence: Big Business Power and the Abuse of the Public Trust
