| LFF Review - The Informant! | |
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Whitacre is a rising star at the agricultural industrial firm Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) but he suddenly decides to expose his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI. In his mind he sees himself as a hero of the people and that he will be rewarded with a promotion for his actions. But the FBI need hard evidence not hearsay and he willingly agrees to wear a wire for them imagining himself as a modern James Bond. But things get muddied when it appears his story may not be entirely true and that his own behaviour at the company may not be completely above board. His constant story changing frustrates agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Bob Herndon (Joel McHale) as they try to build a real case against ADM but it becomes harder and harder to decipher what is hard fact and what could be the product of Whitacre’s over active imagination. From its 70’s style opening credits that make the audience immediately think of Gene Hackman in The Conversation you might think that this could be a conspiracy thriller but as soon as Damon’s dry and witty voice over kicks in you know you are in store for something a little more interesting from the director of Traffic and Ocean’s 11. Soderbergh has delighted in seemingly carrying out the idea of making one film for the studio then another for himself so that he can slowly develop his art and reach a productive maturity by exploring as many different genres and areas of film making as possible. Here he seems to have the idea of re-interpreting Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as the way this film is shot and scored seems in places to be a blatant homage although being set in the mid 90’s! This is not to detract from how good it is but you will feel that watched alongside each other they are remarkably similar. Point 1- you have a protagonist that is likeable and a bit of a charmer but also someone prone to exaggerating the truth. Point 2 - there are women that are long suffering and put up with the protagonists actions (here it is Whitacre’s wife Ginger brilliantly underplayed by Melanie Lynskey). Point 3 - there are long suffering FBI agents who end up catching their prey by the end of the film and getting them put away in prison (here Scott Bakula who wears an amazing hair piece and does world weary and exasperated beautifully wins out). Point 4 - a large American company is defrauded and make to look stupid by said protagonist by the end of the film and also shows the audience how evil and corrupt they are. Lastly Point 5 - the protagonist although having committed multiple crimes himself is seen as being alright and we can root for him in the end as his corporate pay masters are far more evil and it’s better to hate them! Overall these points aside this features a dynamite and award worthy performance from Damon who totally nails his role and carries the whole film and audience along with him. Soderbergh’s direction is fabulous throughout with all this trademark touches in place but if you want the real story of Whitacre’s actions it might be worth checking out the book by author Kurt Eichenwald to get a bigger picture. This is hugely entertaining though and worth seeing at the LFF or on its release in November. Rating: **** Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey Review by Mark Cappuccio For your chance to see this film and the latest releases check out the official London Film Festival site: http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/
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Matt Damon shines as the USA's highest-ranking corporate whistle-blower in Steven Soderbergh's smart and funny new film.
