The Informant! (2009)

The Informant!
2009
Based on a True Story
Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale

The Informant! is based on a real guy and true events, which is amazing considering some of the crazy turn of events that occur in it. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, who works for ADM (a bio-agriculture company), in the mid 1990s he contacts the FBI with information that ADM and its competitors are conspiring to fix the price of lysine (a corn additive) which allows them to raise the price of basically every product that contains corn or corn syrup (which is A LOT of stuff), ripping off consumers for millions of dollars every year. When he comes to the FBI with this information he begins working for them as an informant, making tapes and collecting information about the price fixing scheme. I won't say anything else because it takes some crazy terms towards the end. He is obviously not a trained spy or anything so things like watching him trying to fix his wire right in front of the people he is trying to tape makes for some quick laughs. I consider Matt Damon a pretty good actor, but this role is unlike anything else he has done. Which makes the fact that he does an amazing job so much more impressive. Without someone as talented as Damon playing the lead the film might not have worked as well. Because Mark Whitacre is a pretty complex guy. Mark Whitacre is also the source for all the comedy found in the film. From all the crazy stuff he does, to how he constantly compares everything that is happening in his life to Michael Chrichton books. One thing I really enjoyed about The Informant! is that many comedic actors are cast in small dramatic roles throughout. It was nice to see those funny people playing different kinds of roles. It may be because of my degree in Criminal Justice, but I find movies about investigations like this extremely fascinating. The average person does not normally know how exactly the FBI works when it is collecting information and trying to build a case against someone. This movie is only based on true events, but I think the insights it gives about corporate crime and how agencies attemtp to stop it ring pretty true. If you like Matt Damon as an actor make sure to rent The Informant, you will have a good time watching Damon transform into the quirky Mark Whitacre, while at the same time saying "This can't really be based on a real guy, can it?" It is an interesting movie about real life crimes that you may not have heard about, but affected you for years.

3 out of 5 Stars
.