Review of The Informant! (2009) by Peter T — 17 Nov 2011

Damon holds nothing back for this role and for sure should get recognized here. He never gets a ton of praise for his acting, although he is very popular and successful. Here is a breakthrough performance for someone who has already broken through.

His supporting cast does a fantastic job, especially the FBI agent played by Scott Bakula. Melanie Lynskey is always a delight to see for me at least. Yet another one of my actress crushes. Where the film really takes off is off screen.

The voice overs by Damon's character add so much humor and levity to the story. In between scenes where Whitacre is walking, driving, or any time there is little action to take notice of, we here Whitacre giving some speech about something almost completely irrelevant, but still timely and very amusing.

There is truly never a dull moment. Soderbergh does a fantastic job filming here. He uses a great mixture of colors and tones that reek of the 90's, especially in the office buildings and hotels. He captures the right feeling for each scene.

As we see that Whitacre is slowly being consumed by the case, we can tell without even being told. Soderbergh is very good at presenting the right mood for a film. Highly recommended.