Haven't read the source material, a very rare case for me not reading a book before seeing its film adaptation, but there were plenty of reasons to see 'The Informer'. It is always interesting to me to see the great John Ford going into non-Western territory and seeing a film from early in his career, and that was the biggest reason. The story sounded great, the significant awards attention intrigued, Max Steiner was a great film composer and the title grabbed the attention. Nice cast too.
'The Informer' could have been quite a lot better. There are so many brilliant things here, the best things also being the things that got award attention, and it had a lot of potential to be a classic. It is one of Ford's better early films and one of the ones to put him on the map. But for me 'The Informer' was not the masterpiece proclaimed by other trusted viewers (though their opinions are still very much respected) and has some frustrating elements that make it an interesting and impressive film but a flawed one.
Am going to start with what didn't work for me. Will agree that the characters are very flimsily sketched, with only the main character being properly meaty, and that the romance is completely unnecessary and felt like padding.
Did feel too that some of the dialogue is very cornball and can ramble self-indulgently and while a vast majority of the cast give good to brilliant performances Preston Foster is the exception, with him being as stiff as a board.
On the other point of view, Ford's direction is at its very best masterful. Especially in his expert handling of the brooding atmosphere and authenticity of the setting. His direction in the character interactions are intelligently done too. Victor McLaglen was never better than he is here in 'The Informer', a meaty role given a lot of tension and nuance, he played this type of role frequently in his career but never equalled it as effectively as here. The rest of the cast are fine too, with a big standout being the ever delightful Una O'Connor. Heather Angel is charming.
Moreover, 'The Informer' is magnificently photographed. How such atmosphere-filled and beautifully framed and lit cinematography wasn't even nominated at the Oscars was a big oversight. The scenery is handsome yet evocative and the editing always succinct and never cheap. Steiner's score is lush and haunting as usual and to me it didn't overbear. Enough of the script is literate and taut and have always admired how there are films that take grim subject matters and tackle them in a pull no punches way. 'The Informer' does that.
To conclude, well done and with a lot that impresses. There was room for improvement though. 7/10
'The Informer' could have been quite a lot better. There are so many brilliant things here, the best things also being the things that got award attention, and it had a lot of potential to be a classic. It is one of Ford's better early films and one of the ones to put him on the map. But for me 'The Informer' was not the masterpiece proclaimed by other trusted viewers (though their opinions are still very much respected) and has some frustrating elements that make it an interesting and impressive film but a flawed one.
Am going to start with what didn't work for me. Will agree that the characters are very flimsily sketched, with only the main character being properly meaty, and that the romance is completely unnecessary and felt like padding.
Did feel too that some of the dialogue is very cornball and can ramble self-indulgently and while a vast majority of the cast give good to brilliant performances Preston Foster is the exception, with him being as stiff as a board.
On the other point of view, Ford's direction is at its very best masterful. Especially in his expert handling of the brooding atmosphere and authenticity of the setting. His direction in the character interactions are intelligently done too. Victor McLaglen was never better than he is here in 'The Informer', a meaty role given a lot of tension and nuance, he played this type of role frequently in his career but never equalled it as effectively as here. The rest of the cast are fine too, with a big standout being the ever delightful Una O'Connor. Heather Angel is charming.
Moreover, 'The Informer' is magnificently photographed. How such atmosphere-filled and beautifully framed and lit cinematography wasn't even nominated at the Oscars was a big oversight. The scenery is handsome yet evocative and the editing always succinct and never cheap. Steiner's score is lush and haunting as usual and to me it didn't overbear. Enough of the script is literate and taut and have always admired how there are films that take grim subject matters and tackle them in a pull no punches way. 'The Informer' does that.
To conclude, well done and with a lot that impresses. There was room for improvement though. 7/10