The Informant! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Informant! Blu-ray Movie Review

Smart comedy is so hard to come by...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 19, 2010

Who is Mark Whitacre? A bumbling dimwit struggling with a crisis of conscience? A misguided upstart fueled by greed? A lonely loser desperately searching for a sense of purpose? A cunning and manipulative crook clawing his way up the corporate food chain? A simple man scrambling to survive in a world of cutthroats and cheats? A devoted husband and father? Narcissistic family man? Unrepentant opportunist? Slack-jawed monster? Compulsive liar? Scorned everyman? Lost soul? Coward? Criminal? Thief? All those things, and more? That's exactly what director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Burns wanted to know after reading former-New York Times journalist Kurt Eichenwald's book, The Informant; exactly what you'll want to know after watching The Informant! (more on that exclamation point in a moment), a sharply written, cleverly crafted farce that proves to be as funny and infectious as it is tragic and disarming. Granted, Burns' devilishly deceitful protagonist will irritate some, and Soderbergh's absurdist tone may alienate those expecting the laugh-riot teased in its trailers, but The Informant! is my kind of comedy.

Damon flexes his comic chops...

The Informant! is a film of two halves. In the first, we're introduced, rather spectacularly, to Mark Whitacre (a portly Matt Damon with a snazzy Skywalker Swoop adorning his skull), a high-ranking Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) biochemist-turned-corporate-lackey who begins spilling his guts to FBI agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Robert Herndon (Joel McHale) in 1992. Over the course of their subsequent three-year investigation, Whitacre excitedly sports countless wires, arranges elaborate meetings designed to ensnare his coworkers, and amasses more than two-hundred damning recordings that prove his bigwig ADM colleagues are involved in an international price-fixing scam with some of the company's biggest competitors. But as Shepard and Herndon come to learn, their star informant isn't necessarily the good citizen he professes to be. When ADM uncovers theft, money laundering, and fraud -- all of which trace back to Whitacre -- the FBI's case falls apart. It's clear from the outset that Mark is a liar; a survivalist weaving a web of lies to stay one step ahead of his own inevitable demise. The truth, however, arrives in force to shatter any false security the affably endearing Damon has managed to evoke. The real mid-game revelation is that Soderbergh has spent forty-five minutes relishing the opportunity to dupe his audience. Turns out his narrator, our hapless protagonist, has been playing us as readily as the FBI agents and ADM employees on his strings. To what end remains a mystery most of you will embrace wholeheartedly.

In its second half, The Informant! slowly devolves into a story of sublime sadness. Soderbergh's glass-eyed whimsy and skewed humor are still in play, but Whitacre -- in an effort to regain the trust of his wife (Melanie Lynskey), his FBI allies, the public, his lawyers (among them Arrested Development's Tony Hale), or anyone else willing to believe the nonsense pouring out of his mouth -- becomes increasingly erratic and unsettled. Without warning, we see Mark as he really is; a frightened fugitive shuffling to avoid the harsh interrogation lamp the FBI have turned on his personal life. All the while, we're left to wonder if his manic depression is a genuine disorder or simply another meticulously conceived lie; if his motivations have ever been pure, or solely attached to the millions of dollars filling his overseas bank accounts; if his ever-present narration is merely another aspect of his sick delusions. Is he forced to lie to cover his own tracks? Or is each fib birthed from compulsion? Whitacre isn't the sharpest informant to cross the FBI's path, that's for sure, but is it all just another facade intended to give him the upper hand? In a bold move, one that's sure to cost Soderbergh a fan or two, the director refuses to provide any answers. However, when filtered through his dry sense of humor, these questions and their unanswerable nature are irresistible, rendering The Informant! a spiritual successor to the Ocean series; one in which the impenetrable vault is Whitacre's mind and the band of masterclass thieves is the audience itself.

And the exclamation point? It serves as a wink to Soderbergh's audience; an unmistakable declaration that The Informant! isn't meant to be taken too seriously; that the film's pauses and slowburn riddles are the punchline of a universally human joke. Mark Whitacre is comically flawed, defective even, but in his most selfish, self-serving lies, he emerges as a portrait of greed, insecurity, fear, and desperation. Qualities inherent to us all. He isn't an everyman per se, nor does he deserve any sympathy, but he represents many more of us than we might care to admit. Perhaps that's why I laughed as hard as I did. In Whitacre, I saw a reflection of myself; I saw how ridiculous my masks are, how silly my attempts to conceal my mistakes have been. I haven't embezzled millions, run circles around the FBI, or spent time in jail -- no need to call the police, dear readers -- but I've been caught in lies, succumbed to the urge to cover up those lies, and manipulated my share of people over the years. (If you're sitting there thinking, "I'm nothing like that," congratulations, you've learned to lie to yourself as well as you do to others.) But enough sermonizing. Sometimes funny is just funny; sometimes a shrew screenplay is just that. The Informant! is divisive, but I was entranced. I suspect many of you will be as well.

The Informant! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

At first glance, Warner's humble 1080p/VC-1 transfer isn't much to look at. But don't ready an angry e-mail just yet. Shot with Red One high definition digital cameras equipped with Double Fog filters (evoking a stodgy yet effective period aesthetic), director/oft-times cinematographer Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! is a celebration of barebones photography, modest colors, natural lighting, and merciless shadows. Like Whitacre, Soderbergh hides each shot behind a veneer of simplicity; an aw-shucks charm that conceals the arresting artistry within. Warner's technical transfer follows suit, offering videophiles a faithful approximation of the director's intentions and the film's theatrical presentation. Rich, amber-hued oranges bathe every dim interior, filmic blacks seep into every corner, and unrelenting whites dominate every conference room cursed with a naked window. Contrast remains strong and stable, and depth is decent (especially considering the nature of the production). Yes, detail rises and falls as Soderbergh wills it -- fine textures are few and far between, and clarity is as unreliable as Whitacre -- but, more often than not, it lends itself to the atmosphere of the story and the tone of the comedy.

That being said, severe ringing, intermittent aliasing, minor artifacting, and a bit of crush muck up the proceedings, emerging as tolerable but persistent distractions. Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to determine whether each instance is a product of Soderbergh's style or the result of an imperfect transfer. Still, fans of The Informant! will quickly shrug off such shortcomings and embrace the presentation for what it is: a smart, savvy reflection of the fallible ego-bumpkin at the heart of the tale.

The Informant! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Soderbergh's subtle sound design and, by extension, Warner's less-is-sometimes-more Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track offers a similarly subdued experience. While dialogue is clean and intelligible, the director occasionally allows streetside ambience and background chatter to overwhelm his characters' conversations. It's all intentional, mind you, and enhances the immersive qualities of the mix, but it also produces a flat, front-heavy soundfield that doesn't take full advantage of the LFE channel or rear speakers. Directionality takes a hit as well, if only because the film doesn't have any whiz-bang pans or harrowing action scenes to offer. Thankfully, Marvin Hamlisch's impish score is another matter altogether. Crisp, spirited, and resolute, its hearty downbeats and mirthful melodies match wits with Damon's nimble narration, elevating every burst of music and dim-witted quip the film has on tap. Like its video transfer, Warner's lossless audio track can be quite satisfying so long as you know what to expect.

The Informant! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Informant! snakes its way onto Blu-ray with a small but respectable supplemental package comprised of four amusing deleted scenes (HD, 6 minutes) and an engaging audio commentary with director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Burns. The pair share a breezy, affable chat about Kurt Eichenwald's original book, the development of Burns' adaptation, Soderbergh's attraction to the material, the reasons he decided to inject comedy into the story, and the subsequent film's casting, tone, and production. I had a hard time figuring out who was talking from time to time -- the filmmakers' voices sound strikingly similar -- but Soderbergh and Burns keep the conversation going, identifying and dissecting their sources, influences, and inspirations, as well as Damon's contributions, the director's low-key photography, and his playful use of an unreliable narrator.

The Informant! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As is the case with most comedies, The Informant! will entertain some far more than others. For me, Damon, Soderbergh, and Burns have created an unforgettable farce; one inspired by a truly bizarre true story. For those who know what to expect, Warner's Blu-ray edition can be as rewarding as the film itself. Though its video transfer and TrueHD surround track can be underwhelming, it's all by design, make the disc's thin supplemental package the low point of the release. Even so, Soderbergh and Burns' commentary is extensive enough to take the sting out of any serious disappointment. I would definitely recommend watching The Informant! before committing any cash to a purchase, but anyone who enjoys the film itself will be pleased with its high definition debut.