The Informant! (HBO)

About The Informant! (HBO)

The Informant! is a dark comedy crime film released in 2009, directed by Steven Soderbergh. This HBO production is based on the true story of Mark Whitacre, a whistle-blower in the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the early and mid-1990s. Whitacre, an executive at the firm ADM, colluded with the FBI to expose the international conspiracy but his own ethics came under scrutiny as the investigation deepened.

Making / Production

Director Steven Soderbergh brilliantly captures the corporate world of the '90s with quirky humor and an apt screenplay by Scott Z. Burns. The film was largely shot in Decatur, Illinois, set as the primary location to capture the essence of ADM’s headquarters.

Actors

• Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre: A splendid performance defining a complex character with humor and sly intelligence.
• Scott Bakula as Agent Brian Shepard: Bakula effectively captures the FBI agent's increasing disbelief and frustration.
• Joel McHale as Robert Herndon: McHale finely portrays a young, idealistic agent.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film was based on the book 'The Informant' by journalist Kurt Eichenwald.
• This was Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon’s second film together.
• Matt Damon gained 30 pounds for the role to look more like the real Mark Whitacre.

Awards

The film has earned Matt Damon a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Quotes

• "Butter has 9 points of fat per pat. But margarine has 11. So eat butter and save those 2 points!"
• "I thought it was a spy novel. Turns out it was my life."

Music, Soundtrack

• Marvin Hamlisch composed the original score for the film which earned him a Grammy nomination.
• The soundtrack reflects a blend of classic 90’s music and includes tracks such as "Trust Me" and "Polygraph."