The Informant! (2009)

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

Scott Z. Burns (screenplay)
Kurt Eichenwald (book)

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Based on a tattle-tale

Plot:

The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president turned informant Mark Whitacre.

Plot Keywords:

Pathological Liar | Punctuation In Title | Exclamation Point In Title | Based On Novel

Cast

Matt Damon	...	Mark Whitacre
Lucas McHugh Carroll	...	Alexander Whitacre (as Lucas Carroll)
Eddie Jemison	...	Kirk Schmidt
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Liz Taylor
Craig Ricci Shaynak	...	Discouraged Foreman
Tom Papa	...	Mick Andreas
Rick Overton	...	Terry Wilson
Melanie Lynskey	...	Ginger Whitacre
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Mark Cheviron (as Tom Wilson)
Scott Bakula	...	FBI Special Agent Brian Shepard
Scott Adsit	...	Sid Hulse
Ann Dowd	...	FBI Special Agent Kate Medford
Allan Havey	...	FBI Special Agent Dean Paisley
Howie Johnson	...	Rusty Williams
Joel McHale	...	FBI Special Agent Bob Herndon

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44918) | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-3 | Italy:T | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:7 | Canada:G (Québec) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Japan:G | Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Germany:12 (f) | Netherlands:AL | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Blue Mound, Illinois, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The line about him being agent "0014" is almost exactly the same as was used in "Gilligan's Island: The Invasion (#3.11)" (1966). In a dream sequence where Gilligan is playing the part of agent 014, Mrs. Howell states, "You're twice as smart as 007".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the shot of Tokyo is shown, there is a Half-pipe coaster. This story takes place in 1992-1994. The coaster was built in 2005.

Quotes:

Mark Whitacre: Polar bears cover their noses before they pounce on a seal. How do polar bears know their noses are black? Did they look in the water one day, see their reflection and say, "Man, I'd be invisible if it wasn't for that thing."

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2009-09-12)" (2009)

Not a best pic nod

The artwork released for this movie was genius and succeeded in making me want to see it. I like Matt Damon and potential Academy awards nominations. I saw it today and have mixed feelings about it. The thing I most dislike about it is how it is a complete and definite case of style over substance. I mean, I can sometimes adore movies that have more style than plot exactly, because those can entertain me, but this one is about corporate crimes. And those can only amuse us to a certain extent. It wasn't, in the true sense of the word, a cinematic experience. It didn't affect me in any way, probably because it isn't perfectly funny, nor dramatic. One of the problems, with which I have a moral quandary, is the use of the music. I liked it alone, but I don't think it was adequate in some parts where the lack of it would surely make for funnier scenes. But it is... pleasant. I like the ending, the screenplay is quite incredible, Matt Damon deserves, obviously, recognition for his role and I'm not sure if Joel McHale is an actor.