The Informer

Starring: Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Una O'Connor
Directed by: John Ford
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama
1935

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An Irish man (Victor McLaglen) informs on his friend, and after collecting his ransom, begins to feel guilty for his action.

Review:

Tim: What surprises me the most about John Ford's The Informer is what a dark movie this is. I'm not referring to the lighting on set, this film is a gloomy look at humanity. It's fascinating, powerful, and memorable, but not exactly uplifting. The basic story is very simple- a man commits an act of betrayal, informing on his friend to gain a reward for himself. However, as soon as he does this, he's struck by terrible guilt. The rest of the film portrays his spiral downward as he struggles with his own conscience. This is simple, but there's layers of complexity in this film. It's a stark look at the mistakes we make and how sometimes, we can be our own harshest critics (except for those who want to kill us for our mistake).

The film is headlined by a superb performance by Victor MacLaglen. He's this big, gregarious, goofy character. He's the kind of person you can't help but like because he's a good guy, but the type of person you'd never be threatened by because he has a simple mind. He's a guy you expect to be loyal because he's not intelligent enough to be anything else. That's what makes the whole informing thing so shocking. MacLaglen's character, Gypo, is certainly not a long-term planner. He recognizes that to keep his streetwalker girlfriend safe and help her start over in America, he needs money. He sees an opportunity to make twenty pounds by informing on his buddy. He does this, and after informing on his friend, the friend is killed. Now, Gypo has this terrible secret, and he doesn't have the brains to act appropriately. In many ways, the entire film is this slow-boiling tragedy. You know immediately that Gypo is going to pay for his sins, but he's completely oblivious to this. He takes action after action that will eventually doom him, but he doesn't have the foresight to see any of that. As the audience, we cringe watching his actions, because the road to damnation is clear, and yet our protagonist doesn't see it. It really makes for a fascinating viewing experience.

MacLaglen is terrific as Gypo. He managed to pull of a big upset by actually winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. His performance is so big- Gypo is this huge, blabbering, likable character, and he plays him so well. You can't help but like him, even as you constantly recognize the pain his mental shortcomings will create for him. Even though he did an awful thing (betraying friends is typically a bad move), MacLaglen makes it difficult to dislike him. You understand his character and see his weaknesses, and you feel sympathy for him. That is worth an Academy Award, and I'm glad he won.

I loved the direction of John Ford. Ford is obviously a massive talent, and his ability to craft this dark, fascinating story is impressive. At the heart of the film is the downfall of a man consumed by his own guilt and the mistakes he makes as a result of it. However, it's perfectly connected to the larger story of the Irish Republican Army and their struggles against the Black and Tans. That is a very interesting historical time, and we don't know much about it here in America. Ford won the Academy Award for Best Director, and while he beat out other directors who created more famous films, he's well deserving of the award.

The Informer won a total of four Academy Awards- in addition to MacLaglen and Ford, the film won Best Musical Score, and Best Original Screenplay (which was declined by Dudley Nichols, marking the first time an Academy Award had ever been refused by a winner). While the film didn't grip me from start to finish (one of the reasons I'd consider this film just misses out on greatness), it's still a compelling, memorable movie. This film is absolutely worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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