The Informer
THE INFORMER - Warner Bros
Andrea Di Stefano’s The Informer feels like a film of a different era – almost as if it was released in the mid-2000s – not necessarily a bad thing. It just feels like another one of those extremely forgettable, albeit entertaining, throwaway thrillers that is destined to be shown on late-night TV repeats until the end of time.
The plot on the outset is something you’d expect from the genre. An undercover informant for the FBI, Pete Koslow (Joel Kinnaman), finds himself in prison as he tries to fight for his life and attempts to play the Polish Mafia, the FBI and the NYPD in a desperate bid to get him and his family safe from the various threats Pete has built up.
Things go from A to B in a conventional style, and there’s not really much in the way of surprise or twists in the story, as it is all telegraphed very early on. The last act does go off the rails, compared to the slow-burn set-up the rest of the film spent building up. Stefano’s competent direction does make for some wonderfully tense scenes, even though it requires some suspension of disbelief.
From a visual perspective, The Informer does manage to impress. Gritty Daniel Katz cinematography adds a lot of character to the proceedings – more than the writing or story – giving the film a ‘70s crime thriller vibe that definitely incorporates Dirty Harry or Taxi Driver shades.
Joel Kinnaman has never really had a chance to shine in his career. His brief tenure as Alex Murphy in the ill-fated, family-friendly Robocop remake showed he had potential, but need stronger material and a better director to work with. While this is hardly a massive step to forward his career, he actually does a very good job here by delivering a strong screen presence and character that is easy to root for, and one you actually want to see succeed. It does help that he is clearly the main focus of the film, as the rest of the cast are mercilessly wasted in one-note roles, lacking the development and focus of Kinnaman’s Pete.
The ensemble of talent for the supporting players is staggering, featuring the likes of Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen, Ana De Armas and Common. Not a single one of these performers does a bad job with their roles, it’s just their characters that are barely given any sort of personality or intrigue. It is a shame, as for a nearly two-hour film, there was definitely time to give these established and capable actors the opportunity to shine.
The Informer might not win any awards or be remembered as one of the greats, but it remains a watchable little genre film with strong moments of tension and a solid lead performance from Joel Kinnamon. After all, there’s not a much better choice in recent memory to chuck and kill two hours with.
THE INFORMER is available on physical and digital release in the U.K. with a limited run in the U.S. March 13th
