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{{short description|2009 film by Steven Soderbergh}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Informant!
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| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Steven Soderbergh]]
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[The Informant (book)|The Informant]]''|[[Kurt Eichenwald]]}}
▲| writer = [[Scott Z. Burns]]
|
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Matt Damon]] * * * }}
| cinematography = [[Peter Andrews (cinematographer)|Peter Andrews]]
| editing = [[Stephen Mirrione]]
| music = [[Marvin Hamlisch]]
| studio = [[Participant Media]] <br />Groundswell Productions <br />[[Section Eight Productions|Section Eight]] | distributor = [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|2009|9|18}}
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| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $22 million<ref name="BOM" />
| gross = $41.8 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=informant.htm |title=The Informant! (2009) |
}}
'''''The Informant!''''' is a 2009 American [[Biographical film|biographical]]
Released on September 18, 2009, ''The Informant!'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for Matt Damon's performance,
==Plot==
[[Mark Whitacre]], a rising star at the [[Archer Daniels Midland]] (ADM) office in [[Decatur, Illinois]], during the early 1990s, blows the whistle on the company’s price-fixing tactics at the urging of his wife Ginger.<ref name="Cain-behind">{{cite news |last=Cain |first=Tim |title=Behind the inside man: Mark Whitacre, talks about 'The Informant,' his time in prison and moving forward |work=[[Herald & Review]] |date=6 April 2008 |url=http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2008/04/06/news/local/1031549.txt |url-status=live |
One night in November 1992, Whitacre confesses to [[FBI]] special agent Brian Shepard that ADM
Whitacre’s good deed dovetails with his own major infractions, while his internal, secret struggle with [[bipolar disorder]] seems to take over his exploits.<ref name="Cain-behind"/><ref name="Staff">{{cite news |author=Editorial staff |title=What is "The Informant" about? |work=[[The Patriot Ledger]] |publisher=[[GateHouse Media]] |date=16 May 2008 |url=http://www.patriotledger.com/archive/x1902439227/Basis-of-movie |url-status=live |
In a stunning turn of events immediately following the covert portion of the case, headlines around the world report Whitacre had embezzled $9 million from his own company during the same period of time he was secretly working with the FBI and taping his co-workers, while simultaneously aiming to be elected as ADM CEO following the arrest and conviction of the remaining upper management members.<ref name="Cain-behind"/> In the ensuing chaos, Whitacre appears to shift his trust and randomly destabilize his relationships with Special Agents Shepard and Herndon and numerous attorneys in the process.
Authorities at ADM begin investigating the forged papertrail Whitacre had built to cover his own deeds. After being confronted with evidence of his fraud, Whitacre's defensive claims begin to spiral out of control, including an accusation of [[assault]] and [[Battery (crime)|battery]] against Agent Shepard and the FBI, which had made a substantial move to distance their case from Whitacre entirely. Because of this major infraction and Whitacre’s bizarre behavior, he is sentenced to a prison term three times as long as that meted out to the [[white-collar crime|white-collar criminals]] he helped to catch.<ref name="Cain-behind"/> In the epilogue, Agent Herndon visits Whitacre in prison as he videotapes a futile appeal to seek a presidential [[pardon]]. Overweight, balding and psychologically beaten after his years long ordeal, Whitacre is eventually released from prison, with his wife Ginger waiting to greet him.▼
▲Authorities at ADM begin investigating the forged papertrail Whitacre had built to cover his own deeds. After being confronted with evidence of his fraud, Whitacre's defensive claims begin to spiral out of control, including an accusation of [[assault]] and [[Battery (crime)|battery]] against Agent Shepard and the FBI, which had made a substantial move to distance their case from Whitacre entirely. Because of this major infraction and Whitacre’s bizarre behavior, he is sentenced to a prison term three times as long as that meted out to the [[white-collar crime|white-collar criminals]] he helped to catch.<ref name="Cain-behind"/>
In the epilogue, Agent Herndon visits Whitacre in prison as he videotapes a futile appeal to seek a presidential [[pardon]]. Overweight, balding and psychologically beaten after his years long ordeal, Whitacre is eventually released from prison, with Ginger waiting to greet him.
==Cast==
* [[Matt Damon]] as [[Mark Whitacre]], ''[[Archer Daniels Midland]]'' executive▼
▲*[[Matt Damon]] as [[Mark Whitacre]], ''[[Archer Daniels Midland]]'' executive
* [[
* [[Melanie Lynskey]] as Ginger Whitacre
* [[
* [[Ann
* [[Thomas F. Wilson]] as Mark Cheviron
▲*[[Ann Dowd]] as FBI Special Agent Kate Medford
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[Tony Hale]] as James Epstein, Whitacre's attorney
* [[
* [[Frank Welker]] as Mr. Whitacre
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[Bob Zany]] as [[John M. Dowd|John Dowd]], attorney▼
▲*[[Bob Zany]] as [[John M. Dowd|John Dowd]], attorney
▲*[[Paul F. Tompkins]] as FBI-agent Anthony D’Angelo
▲*[[Lucas McHugh Carroll]] as Alexander Whitacre
==Production==
In 2002, after completing ''[[Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)|Ocean's Eleven]]'', Soderbergh announced his intent to adapt the book ''[[The Informant (book)|The Informant]]'' by Kurt Eichenwald, a former journalist for ''[[The New York Times]]''. [[Scott Z. Burns]] wrote the script based on the book.<ref name="Cain-hobnobbing"/>
Production began in May 2008 in [[Decatur, Illinois]]. Filming was also done at the former Whitacre mansion in [[Moweaqua, Illinois]], a small town about 25 miles from Decatur, and at Illini Country Club in [[Springfield, Illinois]]. Some exterior shots were done in Mesa, Arizona, in November 2008. Other portions of the film were shot in the [[Coachella Valley]], California.<ref name=Filming>{{cite web |title=Coachella Valley Feature Film Production 1920–2011 |url=http://www.visitpalmsprings.com/page/filming-in-palm-springs/126939 |work=Filming in Palm Springs |
==Release==
The film was released on September 18, 2009 in the United States.
===Box office===
The film opened at #2 behind ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (film)|Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]]'' with $10,545,000.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2009&wknd=38&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results from September 18–21, 2009 | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |
In the [[United Kingdom]], the film opened at #10 with [[£]]179,612 from the opening weekend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a188394/new-moon-storms-uk-box-office.html |work=[[Digital Spy]] |publisher=[[Nat Mags|Hearst Magazines]] |
===Critical response===
[[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported a 79% approval rating, based on 230 reviews with an average score of 6.8/10. The site's critics consensus states: "A charismatic turn by star Matt Damon and a consistently ironic tone boost this quietly funny satire about a corporate whistle-blower."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1200661-informant/ |title=The Informant! (2009) |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url-status=live |
[[Roger Ebert]] awarded the film
While giving the film the grade of a B, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' noted that "Soderbergh has chosen to apply an attitude of arch whoopee, a greasy veneer of mirth over what is, no joke, a serious mess of malfeasance and mental instability," concluding, "Soderbergh ultimately made the choice to abandon interesting, dispassionate empathy for the more quick-fix payoff of amusement."<ref>{{cite [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, and, in response to critics of the film's comic tone, [[Todd McCarthy]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' also praised Damon's performance, calling his interpretation of Whitacre, "The wacky little brother of [[Erin Brockovich]]" (whose life was also adapted by Soderbergh into [[Erin Brockovich (film)|a film]]).<ref name="McCarthy">{{cite web |first=Todd |last=McCarthy |title=''The Informant!'' |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |publisher=[[Penske Business Media]] |date=7 September 2009|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/the-informant-3-1200476400/ | ===Accolades===
The film received nominations for multiple awards, including a [[Satellite Award]] for [[Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture#Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (1996–2010)|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]] for Matt Damon<ref>{{cite web |date=30 November 2009 |author=
==See also==
* [[Lysine price-fixing conspiracy]]
==References==
{{
==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.warnerbros.com/informant}}
* {{IMDb title|1130080|The Informant!}}
* {{
* {{Mojo title|informant|The Informant!}}
* [https://www.thisamericanlife.org/168/the-fix-is-in ''This American Life'' #168: The Fix Is In] – interview with [[Mark Whitacre]] and the book's author, [[Kurt Eichenwald]], from ''[[This American Life]]''▼
▲*[https://www.thisamericanlife.org/168/the-fix-is-in ''This American Life'' #168: The Fix Is In] – interview with [[Mark Whitacre]] and the book's author, [[Kurt Eichenwald]], from ''[[This American Life]]''
{{Steven Soderbergh}}
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[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:American business films]]
[[Category:American crime comedy
[[Category:Biographical films about businesspeople]]
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[[Category:Films scored by Marvin Hamlisch]]▼
[[Category:Films about bipolar disorder]]
[[Category:Films about security and surveillance]]
[[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Films directed by Steven Soderbergh]]
[[Category:Films produced by Gregory Jacobs]]
▲[[Category:Films scored by Marvin Hamlisch]]
[[Category:Films set in Illinois]]
[[Category:Films set in Missouri]]
[[Category:Films set in 1992]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Foreign films shot in Switzerland]]▼
[[Category:Films shot in Arizona]]
[[Category:Films shot in Illinois]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Films shot in Missouri]]
[[Category:Films
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[[Category:This American Life]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
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▲[[Category:This American Life]]
▲[[Category:Australian action adventure films]]
▲[[Category:American action adventure films]]
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