The Informant!: A Quick Review

When the nadir of journalism TMZ.com reported that actor Matt Damon had died, it was instantly debunked by Damon's publicist. Of course, being the wise-ass that I am, I instantly quipped that perhaps they were talking about his career. Of course, that too is utter bunk. As if right on cue to prove my joke was nothing more than that, Damon's latest collaboration with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, "The Informant!", was screened tonight in Boston. After seeing Damon's performance in the corporate comedy, it is safe to say that Damon's career is nowhere near Death's door.

Damon, who will no doubt be nicknamed "Fatt Damon" due to the actor pulling a DeNiro by adding 30 lbs for the role, plays Mark Whitacre, a biochemist who is on the rise at agro-giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) but decides to become a mole for the FBI in order to expose a multi-national price-fixing conspiracy going on at ADM. All seems to be going along well for the investigation, which culminates in the arrest of many of the top executives at ADM. Unfortunately for the bureau, what should be the high point of the years-long investigation turns out to be the beginning of a nightmare that centers around Whitacre.

If you can overlook the often obtrusive cinematography by Peter Andrews (a.k.a. Steven Soderbergh) and a soundtrack by Marvin Hamlisch (!) that seems to be scored for another movie altogether, you will find that "The Informant!" is a smart, consistently funny comedy for adults. It respects its audience's intelligence and offers up an engaging, often surprising story that is chock full of great performances, especially Damon's. Whitacre is a man who not only sticks his foot in his mouth, he puts his entire leg in there. Watching Whitacre spiral out of control as the scenes click by is what drives this film, and Damon's solid performance only makes that journey all the more entertaining.

It may not get Oscar recognition, but Damon's performance is certainly one of the better ones I have seen this year, and "The Informant!" is definitely one of Soderbergh's better commercial efforts. It certainly is a major improvement over the last two debacles the filmmaker did with Damon: "Ocean's Twelve" and "Ocean's Thirteen". Rated R. 109 minutes approx. Three stars out of four. Opens September 18th.