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The Informer Movie Review: Joel Kinnaman & Rosamund Pike’s film is a gripping one time watch
The Informer Movie Review: The Joel Kinnaman and Rosamund Pike starrer has a B-movie edge to it but is still an entertaining one-time watch. It’s Common’s good cop act that truly steals the show, no matter how limited his screen presence in the Andrea Di Stefano directorial is.
The Informer
The Informer Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Common, Ana de Armas, Clive Owen
The Informer Director: Andrea Di Stefano
The Informer Stars: 3/5
Ever had the appetite to watch a no-nonsense movie with guaranteed action-packed entertainment and a satisfying feeling after two hours? Then, The Informer is just what the doctor recommends! Don’t expect a heavy discussion with friends post watching this Andrea Di Stefano directorial as the film is not genre-defying but watch it strictly for the fulfilling entertainment quotient. Also, it helps tremendously that The Informer is packed with a stellar star cast to do the heavy lifting.
For the unversed, The Informer is based on Roslund & Hellström‘s novel Three Seconds with the primary protagonist being Pete Koslow (Joel Kinnaman), an ex-convict helping the FBI take down the Polish mob drug cartel by going undercover. However, when an undercover NYPD cop gets shot with Pete witnessing the murder, he’s brought back to Bale Hill Prison, where he had previously served time. It’s then a race against time for Pete as the FBI turns on him too for the fear of being caught for their illegal actions. In the midst of this mess up, we have Grens (Common), a part of the NYPD organised crime division, who is hell-bent on finding out who killed his colleague.
Joel brings his A-game as the tattoo-covered, stoic character who is also a loving husband and father persona. It’s the brawn factor that Kinnaman plays with which keeps you glued to his presence on the screen. Pete isn’t just the macho guy, he’s also a smart one who makes sure to keep his tail protected at all cost and not just jump into action like we’ve seen such characters do before. The actor gives as much attention to his action sequences as he does to the emotional sequences with Pete’ a family that makes you root for the anti-hero. It’s also his easy chemistry with Rosamund Pike, who plays FBI agent Wilcox that holds the strings of the film. However, Rosamund felt too overqualified as an actress to play this predictable role. Even Clive Owen as FBI agent Montgomery sticks to the stereotypical bad government official, who has a very limited offering to showcase. Ana de Armas, who has been garnering rave reviews for her breakout performance in Knives Out, doesn’t have a whole around to deal with as Pete’s wife Sofia Hoffman and almost feels like an after-thought. Common sinks deep into what could have been a typical good cop in an investigative film but the actor packs a punch and steals the show in the minimal screen time he’s been assigned.
ALSO READ: The Informer actor Joel Kinnaman says THIS about director James Gunn's film The Suicide Squad
Inspite of such an elaborate cast, The Informer has a very B-movie feel to it and Andrea doesn’t shy away from embracing that aspect and running with it. In the first ten minutes, we have our plot point set with the cop’s murder while the last half-an-hour packs a mean punch and keeps you guessing. Several action sequences, especially inside the prison have a raw tinge attached which at several moments makes you shudder.
The background score dampened many scenes for me and took away from the real factor while the New York setting had a studio-shot vibe to it. The lighting in several scenes seemed off and distracted you from the storyline.
The Informer is not a perfect film from a mile away. There are several flaws but this reviewer was still glued to Pete’s story for two hours for the sheer entertainment value. At the end of the day, the film doesn’t ‘inform’ a message but is purely an enjoyment filled one-time watch. Plus, Joel Kinnaman’s sparkling presence is hard to ignore and deserves cinematic viewing!
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