Steven Soderbergh’s new film The Informant! is a film I had been anticipating since I first saw the trailer in theaters a few months ago.
Upon viewing the trailer, what caught my attention was the black comedy humor, wacky style, a fat Matt Damon, and just the fact that it was the next Soderberg film. Could a film about corporate corruption wind up being good entertainment? The answer is yes.
The film is based on a true story (and book of the same name) about Mark Whitacre (played brilliantly by a somewhat unrecognizable Damon), who was an executive for a company called ADM (Archer Daniels Midland). ADM is a conglomerate that processes oil seeds and cereal grains into products such as food, beverages, industrial, etc.
The crisis in this story is that one night, Mark Whitacre confesses to FBI Agent Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) that he and other ADM executives regularly met with other competitors in meetings that involved price fixing with lysine.
For the people who lack the intelligence in corporate terms (myself included), price fixing is an agreement between business competitors to sell the same product or service at the same price. Still confused? I don’t blame you.
After confessing, Whitacre decides to become a whistleblower for the FBI and agrees to wear a wire. During the process of several years he collects hundreds of audio and videotapes to help build the case. However, everything is not what it seems.
As the second half of the movie starts to unfold, we learn of the true intentions of Whitacre and the twist involves stealing, kickbacks and a psychological disorder.
The first half of the movie is brimming with style, as the film begins with 70’s style music that is reminiscent of a film like Chinatown. This is obviously due to the trumpet jazz kind of sound.
Damon as Whitacre is fascinating to watch because this is not the same Damon that we have seen before. He gained 30 pounds for the role and instead of playing the smart and cunning Jason Bourne, Whitacre is a well intentioned, but dishonest business man.
One aspect of the film that is hilarious is the voiceover done by Damon as the character Whitacre reflects on everything. He talks about toro bull fighting, vending machines selling girls’ underwear in Tokyo and even the german word for pen. Which is koo koo shwaba by the way. The film lets us get into the head of Whitacre but it doesn’t reveal until the second half what he is really up to.
As I said before, the first half is brimming with humor and style, but the second half might turn some heads because the story gets dark very quickly. Some might find the first half boring and the second half engaging; others might be the complete opposite. For me, it was both. I loved the first half and the second half all the same. As we learn the truth behind everything that is going on, you just cannot help but be fascinated with what is going on.
The Informant! is great entertainment. The performances are terrific; the story never loses focus, and the risks and storytelling techniques that director Soderbergh uses work brilliantly. You will not be disappointed with The Informant!; it is one of the best films I have seen all year.