The Informer Review

The Informer is a grim and gritty crime thriller that features an ensemble cast and attempts to cover a number of storylines.

Peter Koslow (Joel Kinnaman) is an FBI informer working undercover in the Polish mob in New York. Koslow gets put into an impossible situation when a cop gets killed during an operation. The head of the Polish mob (Eugene Lipinski) orders Koslow to go back to prison and run the drug-dealing operation. The FBI make  Koslow continue to inform for them or he would get the blame for the cop killing.

The Informer was an international production. The film was based on a Swedish crime novel and changed from Scandinavia to the US. The cast was international, featuring the talents of Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen, and Ana de Armas. And it was directed by Italian actor Andrea Di Stefano. Despite its American setting, The Informer was actually classified as a British production.

The Informer has a combination of a one last job story and a man being forced to work in an operation. It’s a standard setup for a crime-thriller but it was well told. It is Di Stefano’s second film as a director and he shows a lot of potential as a filmmaker. Despite The Informer being set in the present day, it had the look and feel of ‘70s film. This was a violent film set in locations like an overcrowded prison, Little Poland, and a meatpacking faculty. There were little details like characters having to wear gas masks when handling drugs to show there was no glamour in this world.

Di Stefano also ensured that there was a lot of tension during the film. This starts with Koslow preparing for an undercover operation and the scene when he meets a buyer. This continues with scenes in the prison since Koslow was constantly surrounded by threats.

The Informer attempted to tell a broad story – but it did spread its net too wide. This was a plotline that had the Polish mob importing drugs through diplomatic bags, Koslow having to navigate the perils of prisons whilst setting up his drugs operation, the NYPD investigation, the FBI covering up their involvement, and Koslow family drama. There were so many plotlines that some end up disappearing – most of the Polish gangsters’ plot nearly disappeared. It was great that there were was a focus on the relationship between Koslow and his wife (de Armas) and she had to be involved in Koslow’s mission. But the story would have been benefited more if it was a miniseries. It would have allowed more of these plotlines to breathe and balance the personal drama with the wider plot.

The Informer has a great cast. The highlight was Rosamund Pike as the Wilcox, Koslow’s FBI handling. Pike has a reputation for playing villainous ice queens due to her roles in Gone Girl and Die Another Day but she has more range than that. In The Informer she was a conflicted law enforcement officer because she made promises to Koslow and his family and wants to play by the rules, but gets conflicting orders from her superiors. Her role was similar to what Clive Owen played in the 2012 Shadow Dancer, an intelligence officer who had a professional and personal duty. Lipinski was also worthy of note as the head the Polish mob – being a sinister presence – especially when issuing his mission to Koslow.

Other actors didn’t fare so well. Common has proven himself to be an actor of limited ability. He was meant to be a tough detective who doesn’t show much emotion – but instead of being an authoritative presence he was just stiff. In recent years Owen had been typecast into villainous roles and it happened again here. He was just a self-interested superior officer and an all-around bastard.

The Informer was a solid offering in the crime-thriller genre. The violence and the character drama helps it stand out but suffers from trying to put too much plotting in too little time.