The Informers (2008)
By: Gregor Jordan (director), Bret Easton Ellis (novel, screenplay), Nicholas Jarecki (screenplay)
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Winona Ryder, Jon Foster, Amber Heard, Rhys Ifans, Chris Isaak, Austin Nichols, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mel Raido, Brad Renfro
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.
I’m not entirely sure what the point of The Informers was, or if there even was supposed to be one aside from that the Eighties were pretty fucked up in that strung-out beautiful people, Less Than Zero way (Which is entirely possible, given this is Bret Easton Ellis). Surprisingly, I found the film compelling despite this, and despite that there was no real resolution for anyone in the end. If it’s handled well enough, I think sometimes it’s enough to just have eminently talented actors playing out the ordinary lives of extraordinary people.
It’s difficult to pin down a reaction to this film, because it’s not quite as simple as saying, “this was great” or “this was bad” or even “this was forgettable.” What I know is this: I didn’t expect much from this movie but found myself unable to look away. There weren’t any big surprises or clever plot devices to give everything a tidy ending, but I actually respected that about it. It felt less like a movie and more like good television, which probably sounds like an insult but absolutely isn’t. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the various plot lines, but the characterization was amazing, and what I ultimately took from the film was a desire to know more about these people, predictably fucked up though they all were. This one makes your mind wander after it’s over, wondering what the next episode would have been like.
But really, I can’t praise the acting enough. This could have easily been completely tepid, pretentious indie crap, but most of the cast did a fantastic job of elevating it well beyond that. It’s honestly worth seeing just for the people in it, just understand going in that it’s going to feel more like a soap opera than a movie.
