The Informant: DVD Review
The Informant
Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video
The Informant! is the tale of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) a rising
executive at the American agricultural firm during the 1990s.
Despite doing well within the company, Whitacre ends up blowing the
whistle to an FBI agent (Scott Bakula) about apparent price fixing
within the market instigated by the very people he works
with.
However, as the FBI dig deeper into what's going on, Whitacre
reveals more about the company's involvement with lysine, an
additive used in the commercial livestock industry.
And that's nothing in comparison to the odd behaviour exhibited by
Whitacre the closer the FBI gets&
Based on an apparently true story, there's a feeling of growing
incredulity the longer the film goes on. Matt Damon's Whitacre is
clearly a conflicted and bipolar character, whose tormented inner
monologue at key moments see him ruminate on the minutiae of life -
one side comment sees him wondering how polar bears learnt to cover
their black noses when hunting given they had no concept of black
and white.
It's a dark comedy that Steven Soderbergh's created in places - but
with tremendously solid performances from the likes of Damon and
Taranaki's very own Melanie Lynskey (who plays Whitacre's long
suffering wife), you're never quite 100% sure where to laugh - or
even if you should.
Rating: 7/10
