On Thursday September 17th, American Cinematheque members were treated to a sneak preview of Warner Brother’s The Informant. In attendance at the Aero Theater were writer Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), producer Gregory Jacobs (Ocean’s Thirteen) and actor, Scott Bakula (TV’s Quantum Leap).
The Informant, directed by Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies and Videotape), is based on the true story of a whistleblower who cooperated with the FBI to expose his own company’s part in an international price fixing scheme. Writer Scott Burns states, “It’s based on a true story, but there are a lot of liberties taken with Mark Whitacer.”
After viewing hundreds of hours of video tape, it was realized that this case kind of lent itself to comedy. Producer Greg Jacobs, “The briefcase scene with the malfunctioning tape recorder was real. We saw the tape. It really happened.” Writer Burns adds, “A lot of the dialogue came straight from the video tapes.”
Scott Bakula reveals that the Chinese restaurant conversation actually happened and that the humor in the film is a natural bi-product of the absurdity of the situation. When asked what the hardest part of the film was for Bakula, he answered, “Keeping a straight face.” Apparently Matt Damon had a lot of mustache and hair issues.
After attending the premiere, real-life subject Mark Whitacer said that he loved the movie. Then he admitted to the writer, “I was even crazier than that.” Scott Burns points out that, ”A lie requires two people. One to say it, and another to believe it.”
The Informant opens in theaters September 18th.
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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