THE INFORMERS (2009) by jeff

CAST: Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Foster, Amber Heard, Chris Issak, Brad Renfro, Rhys Ifans, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Lou Taylor Pucci, Austin Nichols, Katy Mixon, Jessica Stroup

Directed by: Gregor Jordan
Written By: Nicholas Jarecki & Bret Easton Ellis
Based on the novel by: Bret Easton Ellis
Cinematography By: Petra Korner
Editor: Robert Brakey


Definately not a feel good movie.

Structured like a Robert Altman film with characters intersecting with one another in different storylines. Set in Los angeles in the 1980's most of the characters are lost souls who all seem to be missing something.

The film has plenty of sex scenes that come off as joyless.

This film is quite stylish but it doesn’t disguise the fact of how bad the film is in quality. It is filmed more like a long form music video then a film. The visuals are quite sleek. I understand the 80's were all about sleekness.With everything seeming guady, Colorful and artificial.

Take for instance the funeral in the early scenes. It sets the superficial mood with modeling shots, Sushi bar and a rock n roll soundtrack.

Gregor Jordan was a last minute replacement as the director and I believe you can tell as it seems as the material is disassociated from the style at times. As he has said before the film is more about attitude and mood then story. Which feels artificial.

It's a film with ideas that don't play out well.

The film has a great arrangement of stars who all seem to be in this film as a form of a comeback by playing against type but unfortunately the film fails them. Luckily for each of them they are not really in the film that long as the film has been marketed on there names but most of the film focuses on the young cast.

The film just seems like it was made to shock. It doesn’t help that it’s source material (Which I have read) wasn’t very strong to begin with. The book is ok but largely free floating with no story, Just a theme. The film looks more like it was made for a nihilistic nostalgic trip back to the 80’s I’m shocked it still got such a good cast. The director has talent and style, but he tries to bring artistic flourish to a film that’s too vapid to care or really find interest in.

It makes you wonder with the material that feels over the top is it truly awful or just trying to be satirical.

The funny thing is this is exactly the type of film I would look through the TV Guide weekly movie guide as a teenager. Read about it’s plot see it had graphic nudity then stay up late and watch the film in fact I would probably plan my week around the viewing to have enough energy and make sure my parents were asleep so I could actually watch the film and not turn it off at the first sign of something objectionable.

Then you are all super hyped to watch it but you sit there dumbfounded because the movie is so bad and seemingly unfocused. So that you can’t really understand it. So your mouth is agape and you just can’t wait for any sign of nudity. There are copious amounts but anytime a scene ends up heading in that direction you get excited only to be fooled this film. i might have been satisfied because as a teenager there was no such thing as too much nudity. Actresss Amber Heard plays most of her role nude, so it’s hard to focus really on her acting.

One of the most striking aspects of the film is seeing Amber Heard's character who sems to have it all. Develop Aids from being a sexual free spirit and slowly die on a beach as the disease has manifested itself and ravages her body. While we have the realization that the characters who have had intimate relations with some of the cast will probably soon develop the same disease and end up the same way. This was cut from a longer version. That was an hour longer and the director descibed it as the slit your wrist cut. Which is amazing considering how Bleak the film already is. Mickey rourke truly inhabits his role as a degenerate with no morals. His character manages to stand out in a film where most of the characters are of the same mindset. Just less extreme.

A cloud hangs over the film as the fate of Brad Renfro's character and his situation feel on par with his real life death. one month after filming finished he died of a drug overdose. It’s a shame this is Brad Renfro’s last film especially if you consider the material and the manner in which he died.

I liked the book, I wish they would have kept in the vampire storyline. It would have been a good allegory bout who are the real monsters. I am convinced that story can be made into a feature of it's own. A truly nihlistic vampire drama. If it had been used liberaly It might have came out like a less humorous version of the TV series True Blood.

Even for all the doom and gloom the book is even more depressing and violent

SKIP IT

GRADE: F