Movie Review : The Informant! 2009

"Matt Damon is The Informant!"

7 out of 10

Matt Damon in The Informant! plays as Mark Whitacre, a seemingly normal family guy. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, with a few well-known actors, is a movie about Mark Whitacre helping the FBI to uncover the price fixing scandal in a big company that processes corns, ADM. It is loosely based on a real story (and novel) in the 1990s, when I was about as old as the Rugrats.

I spent the last 5 minutes of credits scratching my head. I didn't really get it at first, so I googled some of the stuff mentioned in the movie. I've never read the book - I didn't even know it existed -, I didn't know the scandal because I was still literally sucking my thumbs in those years, and I had no desire to search for some information on IMDB before I watched it either. So yes, I saw this movie with no expectations. And I got lost. Particularly because the movie sets in the main character's point of view. No, it's not that I'm dumb, I just don't want to spoil the fun here. You're listening to the voice-overs and seeing things from his point of view. He is not an average family guy. Let's just say that there is something wrong with him.

One thing I like from this movie is the cinematography. It is so 1990s, I love it. And the pink subtitles as well, it really took you back in to the '90s! I also love the voice-overs. It's like we're hearing what's in his head, you know. Even though he is facing a bad situation, his mind is somewhere else. Just like us. There is no voice-overs that explain what is happening with him, there is only his random thoughts. Like this for example : "When polar bears hunt, they crouch down by a hole in the ice and wait for a seal to pop up. They keep one paw over their nose so that they blend in, because they've got those black noses. They'd blend in perfectly if not for the nose. So the question is, how do they know their noses are black? From looking at other polar bears? Do they see their reflections in the water and think, "I'd be invisible if not for that." That seems like a lot of thinking for a bear." And this is happening when he is in a meeting with CEO of other companies, in other country! See how random that is? Praise for the writer. And praise for Matt Damon as well, for delivering a believable performance. I have never liked him, I never intended on watching his movies before, but I changed my mind after I saw this. Very subtle performance. I give it a 7 out of 10, because it has some plot holes. Yea well I'm not going to spill it here though, I have no intention of giving some spoilers here.

I recommend this movie to anyone that's not searching for a laugh-out-loud type of movies. Although it is listed as a comedy, it doesn't give you a Hangover-esque gags. The humors are all dry and dark - which I like. Well, that's it from me. Ciao!