Describing “The Informant!” is as complex as the plot. And just as each character in the film has a different view of the complications and events, every viewer is going to have a different opinion on the movie’s merits — which is part of its charm.
The plot appears simple at first: Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a pudgy executive at a corn processing company, becomes an FBI informant when he learns of a global corn-lysine price-fixing scheme. But Mark is a compulsive liar with delusions of grandeur. Unable to untangle his own lies, Mark eventually finds himself on trial for criminal activities. While Kurt Eichenwald’s book treats this as a thrilling tale of corporate espionage, director Steven Soderbergh takes a much different view. Imagine drawing from Soderbergh’s own body of work: The winks and nods of humor from the “Ocean’s” series combined with the serious corporate fraud of “Erin Brockovich,” but concerning corn by-products instead of pollution.
“The Informant!,” based on the nonfiction book of the same name (minus the exclamation point), exposes the absurdity of the situation to the audience even as the characters are dead serious about the multiple frauds going on. And the types of fraud differ greatly: corporate espionage, price-fixing, embezzlement and lying to the FBI, to name a few. But the many twists could potentially confuse the audience. Even someone who enjoys the general tone of the film will have a difficult time keeping track of the truth beneath the lies, in part because more lies are always being revealed.
Under the convoluted twists of deception and fabrication is an aura of absurdity created by Mark’s deceit. Soderbergh, also the cinematographer on the film, puts a yellow-orange tint on most of the movie — mirroring Mark’s excited personality and colorful inner dialogue. The tone and bright background age the feel of the film, giving it a more authentic ’90s vibe.
Even more than the overall color palette, the music of “The Informant!” is vital to establishing the mischievous tones in each scene. Prolific composer Marvin Hamlisch, the mind behind Broadway’s “A Chorus Line,” penned the upbeat score and garners widespread laughs from the entire audience. It was made to contrast scenes of great ruin and success on the part of Damon and the other actors.
Though the entire ensemble excels in the subtlety required to make the situations real, the film belongs to the inspired performance by Damon. He is hardly recognizable, having gained roughly 30 pounds for the role and hiding under a bad wig and an unfortunate moustache. These physical changes help effectively establish Mark’s cluelessness, from checking on his secret-recording equipment during a meeting to wanting to remain the president of a company he is trying to take down. Wardrobe aside, the biggest insight into Mark’s, and Damon’s, greatest triumph in the film is the off-topic, stream-of-consciousness narration he provides.
Almost never pertinent to the subject discussed during the scene, Mark’s disconnected thought process provides both humor and a window into his world, where in the end everything has a purpose.
“The Informant!’s” complex structure and combative stories make it a difficult film to gain interest in. However, with a basic understanding of the plot, an open mind to let the story develop and a sense of humor, “The Informant!” definitely deserves to be seen.
“The Informant!” was written by Scott Z. Burns and directed by Steven Soderbergh.
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