The Informers (2009)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Gregor Jordan

Writers (WGA):

Bret Easton Ellis (screenplay) &
Nicholas Jarecki (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 June 2009 (Israel)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Greed is good. Sex is easy. Youth is forever.

Plot:

A multi-strand narrative set in early 1980's Los Angeles, centered on an array of characters who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman, an amoral ex-con). Connecting the intertwining strands are a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs -- and one another --with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of a volcano.

Plot Keywords:

Drug | Party | Doorman | Sex | 1980s

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton	...	William
Kim Basinger	...	Laura
Mickey Rourke	...	Peter
Winona Ryder	...	Cheryl Laine
Jon Foster	...	Graham
Amber Heard	...	Christie
Rhys Ifans	...	Roger
Chris Isaak	...	Les Price
Austin Nichols	...	Martin
Lou Taylor Pucci	...	Tim Price
Mel Raido	...	Bryan Metro
Brad Renfro	...	Jack
Theo Rossi	...	Spaz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Milena Arango	...	Miss Nebraska
Denise Bradley	...	Mourner
Suzanne Ford	...	Bruce's mom
Valentina Garcia	...	The P.A.
Cameron Goodman	...	Susan Sloan
Aaron Himelstein	...	Raymond
Simone Kessell	...	Nina Metro
Diego Klattenhoff	...	Dirk
Noli McCool	...	Joe
Katy Mixon	...	Patty
Daniel Rosenberg	...	Rocko
Angela Sarafyan	...	Mary
Peter Scanavino	...	Leon
Gabriel Schwalenstocker	...	Walter
Jessica Stroup	...	Rachel

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, drug use, pervasive language and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

USA:98 min | Germany:100 min (European Film Market)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44674) | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

Senator Entertainment Co

Trivia:

Brandon Routh was originally set to play the vampire Jamie, but his scenes were cancelled at the last minute, just before the shooting.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Peter (Mickey Rourke) shows Jack (Brad Renfro) the child in the van, you can easily see a crew member through the front windshield looking in. He tries to get out of the way, but much too late.

It's shiny, it's sleazy, but it's no Easton Ellis

I had good expectations about "The Informers". Being a fan of Bret Easton Ellis' writing, knowing that he co-wrote the script himself, and with a cast that includes names like Billy Bob Thornton and Mickey Rourke, it had everything to be a new cult favourite, right? Wrong. I'm not familiar with Gregor Jordan's previous work ("Two Hands", "Buffalo Soldiers"), and given his speech before the film première at Sundance on January 22nd, I don't doubt his good intentions about this project. Unfortunately, a good movie isn't made just of good intentions. As in most of Ellis' work, the protagonists are a bunch of shallow, pretty rich kids (Jon Foster, Lou Taylor Pucci, Amber Heard, among others) and their just as shallow elderly peers/parents (Kim Basinger, who played Foster's lover in "The Door in the Floor", now plays his mother, who's depressed because of her husband's – Billy Bob Thornton – affair with the confused newswoman terribly played by Winona Ryder; less serious is Chris Isaak as Pucci's womanizing father, who seemed to have fun playing his character), in 1983 Los Angeles.

Jordan said during the Q&A that this is a movie about Los Angeles, and that Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" was an inspiration for it. It's light years away from the depth, originality and brilliance of "Short Cuts", though. Jordan doesn't know how to direct this sort of material; it pales in comparison to Mary Harron's insanely secure hand over "American Psycho", also based on an Ellis novel. "The Informers" doesn't even engage the audience like the flawed, but fairly entertaining "The Rules of Attraction". It tries too hard to be a cool movie and fails, almost always, miserably. The overall acting is pretty mediocre, although Isaak and Pucci bring some life to their characters. Foster, who was great in "The Door in the Floor", shows that he's not yet ready to play a lead (and he didn't even have to carry the movie on his shoulders à la Christian Bale; this is a big ensemble where nobody really stands out, and I'm including a pre-Wrestler Mickey Rourke and the late Brad Renfro, who plays the perhaps only likable character, in the list).

Jordan said Ellis was afraid to show up for the movie première at Sundance, probably predicting the criticism that was to come. I don't blame him (and I feel for Jordan too since you gotta respect someone who has the guts to face the honor - and pressure - of having your movie premiering at Sundance). Although nobody was impolite during the Q&A, the movie got trashed by the critics afterwards.

I have no idea how well this is gonna do at the box office, although Amber Heard's constant nudity will certainly catch some attention and give her lots of job offers (too bad her acting skills are still rather poor). I wouldn't call "The Informers" a terrible movie, just a very forgettable one. The final scene (not the conclusion, but the very final scene itself) is disturbing, sad and yes, memorable; but by then you feel like you wasted too much time with something that's been done several times, and much better, before. 5/10.