The Informant! | Teen Ink

The Informant!

May 18, 2010
By MannyMo1991 BRONZE, Charlotte, North Carolina
MannyMo1991 BRONZE, Charlotte, North Carolina
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

If you enjoy an interesting comedy pertaining to corporate whistle-blowers, then The Informant! is the right movie for you. The film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, tells the story of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) and his involvement in the lysine price-fixing conspiracy that took place during the mid 1990s.

Mark is a successful executive at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) who decides to blow the whistle on his company. He confesses to an FBI agent that he and other ADM executives have met with competitors to fix the price of lysine, an essential amino acid found in proteins. Mark begins to record the price-fixing as evidence to assist the FBI.

However, as the story progresses, it becomes evident that it is Mark himself who initiated the price-fixing and has defrauded over 9 million dollars from ADM. We find out that he started the whole price-fixing scheme in the hopes of eliminating the other executives and becoming CEO. The story becomes truly unbelievable through the many lies that Mark tells in order to get himself out of trouble. Eventually, he has a trial and is sentenced to prison for 8 and a half years.

This movie is probably one of the greatest depictions of a white-collar crime. At certain points it is unimaginable that this truly happened in real life. You find yourself believing the many lies that Mark tells and are blown away as you slowly unravel that everything he said was false. A clever and funny movie, I would advise anyone who enjoys satire to watch it!


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