The Informant!

Is this guy for real? The Informant is based on the true-life case of FBI informant, Mark Whitacre. Mark Whitacre, an AMD executive, cooperated with the FBI when he wore a wire, recording hundreds of hours of tape, exposing his company, who was participating in an international price fixing scheme. The pressure of being undercover starts to get to Mr. Whitacer, and the authorities try desperately to keep their case together until they can get all the evidence they need to prosecute.

Matt Damon does an amazing job playing the man under-pressure and his subsequent meltdown. Scott Bakula plays FBI Special Agent Brian Shepard, who forms a bond with Mr. Whitacre, until he gets caught up in his tangled web of lies. Once Agent Shepard realizes there is more to the case than imagined, he is too invested to shut the operation down.

Although this is an authentic case, director Steven Soderbergh decided to play up the comedic element within it. With actual video footage chronicling the absurdity of the case. Mark Whitacre became so caught up in his role as a spy that he actually called himself 0014 because he was twice as good as 007. This was a man who was loosing his grip.

The Informant is a quirky, funny, ironic tale with a central character who is so odd, that you can’t believe he’s real. With an amazing score by Marvin Hamlisch, a supporting cast full of comedy’s best, and an outstanding performance by Matt Damon, this bizarre film will not likely soon be forgotten.

Rating: First Run Stranger than fiction