Review of The Informer (1935) by Adam R — 05 Jan 2010

An atmospheric and suspenseful film which - while not quite measuring up to the Carol Reed masterpiece "Odd Man Out," another movie about duplicity and the IRA - still manages to resonate with its themes of guilt and redemption.

Victor McLaglen plays Gypo Nolan, a brutish, none-too-bright thug and former IRA soldier who rats out his best friend for a 20 pound reward that could finance his and his girlfriend's passage to America. The politics of the Irish-British "war" are nearly irrelevant to the story, which primarily focuses on Gypo's corrosive guilt and how it leads to his downfall.

The final act of the movie is especially well-done, retaining the fine work of McLaglen while simultaneously showcasing the best from the star's fellow cast members, notably Heather Angel as the sister of the man Gypo turned in; Margot Grahame as Gypo's girlfriend; and Preston Foster as the suave, anxious IRA leader.

Though it would be difficult to argue Gypo "didn't know what he was doing" - as so many characters, including Gypo himself, are keen to claim - the ramifications of the crook's actions are tragically undeniable. Kudos to McLaglen for making the poor brute so believable, and to Ford for making such a compelling of life on the edge of the law.