One thing is for sure about The Informant! and it’s that Matt Damon is definitely not the same crisis-ridden amnesiac America fell in love with. Based on Kurt Eichenwald’s 2000 book, Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, a seemingly inept and neurotic biochemist who blows the whistle on his company’s global price-fixing scheme only to become a victim of his own head-scratching recklessness. The story begins in the early ‘90s where Whitacre’s employer, Archer Daniels Midland, a highly recognized agricultural conglomerate, has been working in collusion with their competitors to fix the price of lysine, a ubiquitous food additive. When two FBI agents arrive at ADM to investigate a possible industrial sabotage, Whitacre, posing as an honest man, confides in the FBI agents and reveals the details of the scheme. Whitacre is then thrust headlong into a quirky yet consistently hilarious journey, operating as an informant in the investigation while continuing to work at ADM.

Almost everything about Soderbergh’s film is off-kilter. From the dimly lit meeting rooms to the cheery lounge jazz that plays in between scenes, The Informant! is disorienting at times. However, Damon’s impeccable performance and Scott Z. Burns’ (The Bourne Ultimatum) sharp writing compensate for its eccentricity. The film’s ongoing voiceovers are a definite highlight and reveal Whitacre’s utter detachment from reality, most notably the scene where he contemplates polar-bear hunting techniques while speaking to the FBI agents. While The Informant! isn’t flawless, it is a solid and well-executed departure from Soderbergh’s and Damon’s typical standbys.

Tags: matt damon, soderbergh, the informant, whistleblower