IMDb > The Informers (2008)
The Informers
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The Informers (2008) More at IMDbPro »

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The Informers (2008) -- A multi-strand narrative set in early 1980s Los Angeles, centered on an array of characters who represent both the top of the heap and the bottom of the hill.
The Informers (2008) -- A drama set in early 1980's Los Angeles, centered on an array of characters who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman, an amoral ex-con).
The Informers (2008) -- Trailer for this tale of LA excessiveness
The Informers (2008) -- Lives intersect during one week in Los Angeles in 1983
The Informers (2008) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
5.5/10   5,390 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gregor Jordan
Writers (WGA):
Bret Easton Ellis (screenplay) &
Nicholas Jarecki (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Informers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 June 2009 (Israel) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Greed is good. Sex is easy. Youth is forever.
Plot:
A multi-strand narrative set in early 1980's Los Angeles, centered on an array of characters who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman, an amoral ex-con). Connecting the intertwining strands are a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs -- and one another --with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of a volcano. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
It's shiny, it's sleazy, but it's no Easton Ellis more (54 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jon Foster ... Graham Sloan

Austin Nichols ... Martin

Amber Heard ... Christie
Lou Taylor Pucci ... Tim
Aaron Himelstein ... Raymond
Mel Raido ... Bryan Metro

Rhys Ifans ... Roger
Germán Tripel ... Bryan's Guitarist (as German Tripel)

Billy Bob Thornton ... William Sloan

Kim Basinger ... Laura Sloan

Winona Ryder ... Cheryl Moore

Brad Renfro ... Jack

Suzanne Ford ... Bruce's Mother

Cameron Goodman ... Susan Sloan

Mickey Rourke ... Peter
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, drug use, pervasive language and some disturbing images.
Runtime:
98 min
Country:
USA | Germany
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #44674) | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Ontario)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Brad Renfro's final film. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Bryan Metro gets out of the bath tub and puts a towel around his waist, he is completely dry. more
Quotes:
Susan Sloan: [dryly, to a topless Christie] Nice Shirt. more
Movie Connections:
References Amadeus (1984) more
Soundtrack:
Shadows of the Night more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Does this movie have vampires in it?
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52 out of 94 people found the following comment useful.
It's shiny, it's sleazy, but it's no Easton Ellis, 2 February 2009
4/10
Author: Aluísio Parondi (nem.freud.explica@gmail.com) from Winooski, Vermont, USA

I had good expectations about "The Informers". Being a fan of Bret Easton Ellis' writing, knowing that he co-wrote the script himself, and with a cast that includes names like Billy Bob Thornton and Mickey Rourke, it had everything to be a new cult favourite, right? Wrong. I'm not familiar with Gregor Jordan's previous work ("Two Hands", "Buffalo Soldiers"), and given his speech before the film première at Sundance on January 22nd, I don't doubt his good intentions about this project. Unfortunately, a good movie isn't made just of good intentions. As in most of Ellis' work, the protagonists are a bunch of shallow, pretty rich kids (Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Amber Heard, among others) and their just as shallow elderly peers/parents (Kim Basinger, who played Foster's lover in "The Door in the Floor", now plays his mother, who's depressed because of her husband's – Billy Bob Thornton – affair with the confused newswoman terribly played by Winona Ryder; less serious is Chris Isaak as Pucci's womanizing father, who seemed to have fun playing his character), in 1983 Los Angeles.

Jordan said during the Q&A that this is a movie about Los Angeles, and that Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" was an inspiration for it. It's light years away from the depth, originality and brilliance of "Short Cuts", though. Jordan doesn't know how to direct this sort of material; it pales in comparison to Mary Harron's insanely secure hand over "American Psycho", also based on an Ellis novel. "The Informers" doesn't even engage the audience like the flawed, but fairly entertaining "The Rules of Attraction". It tries too hard to be a cool movie and fails, almost always, miserably. The overall acting is pretty mediocre, although Isaak and Pucci bring some life to their characters. Foster, who was great in "The Door in the Floor", shows that he's not yet ready to play a lead (and he didn't even have to carry the movie on his shoulders à la Christian Bale; this is a big ensemble where nobody really stands out, and I'm including a pre-Wrestler Mickey Rourke and the late Brad Renfro, who plays the perhaps only likable character, in the list).

Jordan said Ellis was afraid to show up for the movie première at Sundance, probably predicting the criticism that was to come. I don't blame him (and I feel for Jordan too since you gotta respect someone who has the guts to face the honor - and pressure - of having your movie premiering at Sundance). Although nobody was impolite during the Q&A, the movie got trashed by the critics afterwards.

I have no idea how well this is gonna do at the box office, although Amber Heard's constant nudity will certainly catch some attention and give her lots of job offers (too bad her acting skills are still rather poor). I wouldn't call "The Informers" a terrible movie, just a very forgettable one. The final scene (not the conclusion, but the very final scene itself) is disturbing, sad and yes, memorable; but by then you feel like you wasted too much time with something that's been done several times, and much better, before. 4/10.

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Terrible, why ELLIS? BEE could fix. dir_by_ade
any possible analogy with the band? doppelganger-5
AIDS (Spoilers) kc8829
what kind of shot does she give billy bob leemariejr
fassion question. Somebody help me please! b-havens
the end cesetevi
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