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The Informant! Movie Poster
Plot, Details & Awards

The Informant!

Rated R for language.

R In Theaters 09/18/2009 , 108min.
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Plot & Details

A rising star in the agricultural industry suddenly turns whistleblower in hopes of gaining a lucrative promotion and becoming a hero of the common people, inadvertently revealing his penchant for helping himself to the corporate coffers and ultimately threatening to derail the very investigation he helped to launch in this offbeat comedy from Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh. Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) was fast rising through the ranks at agri-industry powerhouse Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) when he became savvy to the company's multinational price-fixing conspiracy, and decided to turn evidence for the FBI. Convinced that he'll be hailed as a hero of the people for his efforts, Whitacre agrees to wear a wire in order to gather the evidence needed to convict the greedy money-grabbers at ADM. Unfortunately, both the case -- and Whitacre's integrity -- are compromised when FBI agents become frustrated by their informant's ever-shifting account, and discover that he isn't exactly the saintly figure he made himself out to be. Unable to discern reality from Whitacre's fantasy as they struggle to build their case against ADM, the FBI watches in horror as the highest-ranking corporate bust in U.S. history threatens to implode before their very eyes. Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, and Melanie Lynskey co-star.
  • MPAA Rating: R
  • Genre(s): Comedy
  • Run Time: 108min.
  • Theatrical Release Date: 09/18/2009
  • DVD Release Date: 02/23/2010
  • Distributor(s): Warner Bros.
  • Director(s): Steven Soderbergh
  • Starring: Matt Damon , Scott Bakula , Joel McHale , Melanie Lynskey , Rick Overton
  • Themes: Whistleblowers,Fighting the System,Scandals and Cover-Ups,Mental Illness
  • Tone: Quirky,Talky,Witty,Ironic
  • Keywords: FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation),biochemistry,corporate-espionage,evidence,federal-agent,investigation,whistleblower,agriculture,con/scam,embezzlement,executive,white-collar
  • Country of Origin: USA (09-18-2009)
  • Language: English

Awards

Golden Globes

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
2009 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Matt Damon Nominated
2009 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Score Marvin Hamlisch Nominated

Toronto International Film Festival

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
2009 Toronto International Film Festival Film Presented Nominated
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