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The Informer
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The Informer

1935
Drama
1h 31m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 61.82% from 272 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(272)
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Rated 22 Jan 2010
62
20th
"Subtle" usually isn't in Ford's vocabulary, but this film has a slightly more complex morality than his usual work. But Ford makes a fatal mistake: he assumes your sympathies lie with the Sinn Fein. I didn't care what any of these idiots did to each other. And McLagen's performance is so over-the-top that I never developed any sympathy for him either, whether I was meant to or not. However, the black & white photography is very impressive. And there are some tense scenes, especially the trial.
Rated 15 Mar 2011
55
36th
Great style that has the same nostalgic feel as the films of french poetic realism, Jean Gabin and all that. But apart from that it's a quite dull and simple film. It reminds you of classic tragedies, greek style, but it never surprises you. The leading character is quite good (reminds me of Robert de Niro at times), but the acting is hard to commit to, exagerated and coordinated. Having said all that, Ford really knows how to work his crew which creates a thoroughly mesmerizing atmosphere.
Rated 16 Mar 2011
60
50th
A simple story, told in a straight-forward - but always very competent - way. Whether or not you appreciate McLaglen's (Oscar-winning) acting-style, it's pretty damn good for a '30s-movie.
Rated 27 May 2008
90
88th
Ford's direction and August's photography are the real stars here. The style borrows significantly from German expressionism, with the play between light and shadow. McLaglen stumbles through the film in the foggy streets of Dublin, highlighting the moral fog in which he finds himself. Nicely done all around.
Rated 29 Aug 2008
65
29th
An awful lot of hokey, theatrical silent-film touches. I mean, how many times can I watch McLaglen throw down his hat or slam his fist on a table? Picked up a bit in the second half; but still, ultimately sunk by its own melodrama. The only really good part was McLaglen drunk and happy at the brothel (or whatever that place was).
Rated 03 Nov 2009
1
6th
Apart from the chiaroscuro-drenched cinematography, there's not too much that's very admirable here. The film's dark nature is periodically muddled by hokey elements, from the laughable acting (McLaglen won an Oscar for being obnoxiously drunk throughout the entire film) to the blunt themes and symbolism.
Rated 27 Feb 2011
73
36th
Cinematography is great but the rest is a mixed bag, relying on sympathies that a modern viewer, or at least I personally, won't have. Also Margot Grahame's Irish accent is terrible. Even so it was an decent story and had some good dramatic moments. I continue to wish Ford had done an actual noir.
Rated 03 May 2007
80
68th
McLaglen chews the scenery mercilessly but this is a good film anyway
Rated 13 Nov 2007
93
84th
Soused Judas stumbles through a moral fog.
Rated 02 Mar 2008
69
50th
# 616
Rated 19 Dec 2008
65
30th
696
Rated 04 Dec 2009
100
91st
A brilliant, deeply moving film directed superbly.
Rated 15 Jan 2010
62
24th
765
Rated 14 Apr 2010
89
80th
An obvious film (what else do you expect from a Dudley Nichols screenplay?) but still a good one, with a terrific performance from McLaglen and excellent character support by Donald Meek, Una O'Connor and J.M. Kerrigan. Preston Foster is wooden, and Ford lays on the Irish atmosphere much too thick, but this is definitely worth a look. Nice moody photography.
Rated 11 Dec 2010
9
93rd
Very beautiful and at points the feeling is piercing, but somehow the ambiance of irish streets seem to come out of a fairy tale, as Ford paints with very broad strokes.
Rated 07 Oct 2011
80
62nd
Weird acting, some kind of an exaggerated stage style. Lots of kitsch moments, looking by today's standards, but I was entertained during the whole movie, anyway.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
60
20th
#800
Rated 21 Jul 2012
75
89th
Excellent.
Rated 08 Jun 2013
70
96th
John Ford tackling a low budget by taking inspiration from silent film masters like Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau. And the films wins 4 Academy Awards for it! The Informer is stylistically pure using fog, light and angles to create the atmosphere in a brilliant way. The acting was what held this back the most. The drunken McLaglen was a little uneven, but he at least captured the moments when he had to. Not sure he deserved his Oscar, but here he was the man of the hour.
Rated 10 May 2014
70
35th
A simple story told well with compelling direction from John Ford. McLaglen gives a really strong performance for the time, although some of the actors around him are irritating with the way they play up the melodrama.
Rated 23 Feb 2016
16
88th
Star Rating: ★★★★1/2
Rated 18 Dec 2016
85
89th
The Informer feels like the type of story that grandfathered the likes of Eddie Coyle and other tales of the pitiful tragic anti-hero. Carried by McLaglen's performance and Ford's direction, it's one of the best films acclaimed in its time but almost completely forgotten today.
Rated 12 Jun 2017
70
81st
2. A tragic and beautiful story of poverty, loyalty, shame, regret and honour which left the viewer sniffling at the end. Victor McLaglen is superb as the naive simpleton with an alcoholic problem, but in possession of an inherently good nature. The sets are well put together and the cast is spot on, remaining with the viewer for a long time afterwards. All in all this story of redemption is a prime moment of early American cinema.
Rated 02 Dec 2018
70
71st
Semi-forgotten Ford was acclaimed in its day, but it now serves as an a anomaly in his ouevre, an expressionist stylistic detour that is closer to the films of Lang than his own. The artificial stage bound setting creates an air of claustrophobia and dread, a self contained world that traps the protagonist inside his guilt ridden mind. The Irish stereotypes are grating, and McLaglen's performance is hit and miss, but it's a satisfying crowd pleaser with some genuinely ambiguous moments.
Rated 26 Jan 2019
86
80th
Atmosfera e fotografia deslumbrantes, mas que protagonista burro do caralho. Rá! Coleção Folha/Versátil grandes Diretores do Cinema
Rated 23 Feb 2019
84
23rd
83.50
Rated 12 Apr 2021
85
59th
Viewed April 3, 2021. So much of what's appealing about Ford is the way his expressive visual choices work in tandem with his storytelling, rather than completely overwhelming it the way it does here. At the same time, it's interesting to see how Ford uses this heightened visual style to tackle his themes of loyalty and personal morality, obtaining a distinct emotional intensity through this more elaborate visual design and through Victor McLaglen's melodramatic performance.

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