THE INFORMANT! ***
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
These factual events were based on KURT EICHENWALD’S book of the same name. MARK WHITACRE (MATT DAMON) was employed by agricultural conglomerate ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND.
In November of 1992, he admitted to FBI agent BRIAN SHEPARD (SCOTT BAKULA) that ADM executives had met with competitors to fix the price of lysine, a food additive.
Under pressure from the feds, Mark Whitacre recorded hours of audio and videotape. He went undercover for approximately three years. The VP was the highest ranking individual to ever turn whistleblower in American history.
And while he was an informant for the FBI, Mark Whitacre embezzled millions of dollars from the company he worked for.
This bizarre but highly entertaining narrative could have translated into an intense, hardhitting drama like TRAFFIC. But MARK WHITACRE is certainly no ERIN BROCKOVICH. Consequently, THE INFORMANT! is a sharply satirical wacky off the wall comedy. If anyone can make something substantial out of this highly improbable mix, it’s STEVEN SODERBERGH.
He does not disappoint…
Mark is exceptionally intelligent. He’s a biochemist with a PhD from an ivy league school. But he’s also bipolar. Mark is a compulsive liar, has delusions of grandeur and suffers from supremely erratic judgment.
He actually believed that once the dust settled and ADM became aware of his role in their takedown, that they would ask him to be the CEO.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this film is Mark’s voice over, which is a constant stream of consciousness that makes no sense whatsoever. It could have been creepy, disturbing or offensive. But due to Matt Damon’s superlative delivery, it’s completely hilarious.
Mark is actually delighted to be a secret agent. He refers to himself as 0014 because he’s “twice as smart as James Bond.” It’s a line borrowed from – of all places – Giligan’s Island.
Mark thinks that he’s crazy like a fox. But he’s really just crazy. It’s inevitable – and necessary – that his world will come crashing down around him at some point. But it’s great fun to watch until it happens.
Screenwriter SCOTT Z. BURNS creates hysterical dialogue and some terrific scenes for the characters to interact in.
MARVIN HAMLISCH’S fabulous score is a takeoff on those campy 60s spy flicks. His music is evocative and extraordinarily stylish.
Most people aren’t aware of what an incredible character actor MATT DAMON is. (Though anyone who’s seen GOOD WILL HUNTING or THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY probably has some idea.) Here, with glasses, 30 extra pounds on his wiry frame, a moustache that looks like bad porn and one of the worst toupees ever seen on the silver screen, he’s barely recognizable.
He works miracles as MARK WHITACRE. This is easily some of the best acting he’s ever done.
He receives superior support from the excellent MELANIE LYNSKEY as his long suffering childhood sweetheart and spouse GINGER WHITACRE. You can tell that she often has no clue who he really is or what in the hell he’s doing.
But Ginger has the patience of a saint. She sticks by him regardless.
STEVEN SODERBERGH shot this film under his pseudonym PETER ANDREWS. The cinematography is more utilitarian than anything else. But it fits. This is certainly not a tale about glamorous people living the high life – their aspirations notwithstanding.
As a director, Mr. Soderbergh has always been a genius with actors and a sharp, savvy commentator on human behaviour. That tradition continues. He is a master at the height of his powers.
The moral of this story is…
Everything you do comes back to haunt you eventually. You can run but you can’t hide.
And karma, as we’re all very much aware, is a bitch…
