Matt Damon has done some pretty amazing roles since starring in Good Will Hunting back in 1997. While I have never been a huge action movie fan, the Bourne Trilogy is a fan favorite and I made sure to check them out on the big screen. I loved Ocean's Eleven, even if they lost me with the next two. So I was pretty eager to watch The Informant when it came into the library. I should have kept it on the library shelf.
While Damon once again portrayed his role well, the movie never seemed to end for me. The movie centers around Mark Whitacre (Damon), a biochemist and junior executive at Archer Daniels Midland. In 1992, Whitacre began working with the FBI about price-fixing at ADM and turned in over 200 tapes as evidence. His motive for feeding insider knowledge shifts as the movie goes along, and he manages to fool the FBI and the movie watchers.
As the story twists and turns, it is hard to keep up. I am pretty sure I had a look of confusion on my face from the beginning to the end. At one point, I was sure four hours had passed, but it had only been 90 minutes. The music follows as Whitacre blunders along marking the time when his story mutates from one lie to the next.
Not highly recommended, but I give Damon props for another good performance. Scott Bakula and Joel McHale also star in the movie. If you aren't familiar with these actors, you will discover it is hard to take either of them too seriously. The movie was based on the book The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald.