Now or Then - The Informant! or The Insider?
Now: The Informant! (2009)Then: The Insider (1999)
In some ways, Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! is the flip side of Michael Mann's The Insider. Both movies are about dorky, family-man scientist types working at big agribusiness firms who expose wrongdoings they don't like, while basically destroying their own lives in the process. But whereas (and perhaps because) Mann's fact-based film took a dead serious approach to its tale, Soderbergh & Co. opt for a decidedly more oddball route. So how do these two movies stack up against each other, anyway?
The Actor!
The Informant!: Hunky Matt Damon very publicly gained 30 lbs. and donned a wig to play the average-looking Mark Whitacre.
The Insider: Hunky Russell Crowe very publicly gained 35 lbs.
and donned a wig to play the average-looking Jeffrey Wigand. (Being
Russell Crowe, however, he also went the extra mile and shaved his
head.)
The Whistleblower!
The Informant!: Mark Whitacre is a chemist who helps the Feds bring down an elaborate corporate price-fixing scheme at Archer Daniels Midland Corporation. Alas, he's embezzling millions of dollars from the company at the same time.
The Insider: Jeffrey Wigand is a scientist who helps 60 Minutes expose his former employer's attempts to cover up research about the addictive effects of cigarettes. Alas, he may have lied about being on the US Olympic judo team.
The Conspirators!
The Informant!: The chummy, back-slapping guys who run ADM are involved in an international scheme to fix the price of lysine, an animal feed additive.
The Insider: The operatically evil corporate snakes who run Brown & Williamson are not only covering up research proving that cigarettes are addictive, they're actually trying to make them more addictive! Also, they threaten Wigand's life and his family's well-being.
The Investigators!
The Informant!: FBI Agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Robert Herndon (Joel McHale) fall for Mark's story. When their superiors find out about Whitacre's lies, the pair is removed from the case and the Feds start to investigate Whitacre himself.
The Insider: 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) heroically puts together Wigand's explosive interview, only to have it be defanged by CBS management, who are afraid the lawsuit might scuttle their company's impending sale to Westinghouse.
The Wife!
The Informant!: Although she's concerned about her husband's professional well-being, Ginger Whitacre (Melanie Lynskey) stands by him all the way -- even up through his eventual conviction for embezzlement and imprisonment.
The Insider: Worried for her family's safety, Liane Wigand (Diane Venora) files for divorce from her husband -- despite the fact that he's helping take down one of the most corrupt companies in the country.
Well, there is nothing about these films that are alike. The Insider is very very serious, The Informant is a silly comedy...not to say that the movie isn't cute! It is nothing like The Insider!
Whether it is true or not. Wow...The Insider was a 60 minutes special for goodness sake!
Do not even know why you are comparing, there is no comparison!
The Informant! is based on a true story. The book exposing the real-life insanity of what went on became a "This American Life" program that re-aired over the weekend as well, and can be listened to at their website.
So yes, the true story is even weirder than the movie, so it's no surprise it was presented as a dark comedy--no one would've believed it if it had been presented as a drama (Or to quote one of the greats who I cannot track down "Of course truth is stranger than fiction--fiction has to make sense!").
Any love it. Any good reason? There are so many reasons to see this movie and becosue of the difference of movie theme and the much adopted from the book it was clear experience of good film making comes around the people hands as The Informant! (2009) lot of laughter been produced out from the wood, Matt Damon grate work man you were genius. !!!
source
http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com/in-theaters/watch-the-informant-online
I would prefer the The Informant! because yes, I love Matt Damon. The film has thus far gotten positive critic reviews, which ought to be pleasing for the cast and the director. This is the fourth time Damon has worked with Steven Soderbergh, who also directed the Ocean's series. The film is a dark, somewhat satirical comedy about a food company executive that turns whistleblower, and brings down the company exposing their price fixing conspiracies. It looks as though neither Damon nor Soderbergh will need quick payday loans to get good reviews for The Informant!