The Informant blows the whistle

MANILA, Philippines - Warner Bros.’ critically-acclaimed satire The Informant!, based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in US history, will be shown soon exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma).

Starring Matt Damon, The Informant! is directed by Steven Soderbergh from the screenplay by Scott Burns, based on the book The Informant (A True Story), written by Kurt Eichenwald. The film is a dark comedy about corporate espionage, multinational price fixing, wiretapping, embezzlement, FBI investigations and a high-level company whistleblower.

The film follows the somewhat strange and unpredictable journey of Mark Whitacre from corporate golden boy to FBI informant in the years from 1992 to 1996. “The more I learned about the story, the more I responded to the material,” Soderbergh says. “But I knew there have been serious films done on similar subject matters by great filmmakers. I thought one way to do something distinctive was to play the irony of the situation. Everything fell into place once that decision was made.”

Damon who plays Mark Whitacre says, “It’s like peeling an onion. You start with a certain set of assumptions and then realize you can’t assume anything as the situation becomes utterly ridiculous. It’s a great story and a really incredible character.”

The plot of The Informant! was first told in-depth in a book by Eichenwald who also served as movie producer. Screenwriter Burns was introduced to the story when he heard an interview with Eichenwald on the radio. He tells, “I was on my way to a brunch and I ended up driving around the restaurant for the entire hour. I went directly from there to buy the book and spent the rest of the day reading it.”

The screenwriter recalls when he and Soderbergh first began talking about how to adapt the book, “Steven said he wanted to make it a comedy. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but as we started working on the script, I realized that most of the things that happened were pretty outrageous.”

Burns ultimately hit on the concept that became the key to finding the film’s overriding humor. Soderbergh reveals, “It was Scott who came up with the idea of the voiceover. Once that happened, it was clear which direction the movie was going. Little by little it reveals what’s going on beneath the surface with Mark, and what’s fun is how it doles out that information. It’s a unique perspective and I think it’s what makes this script so intriguing.”