The Informers is an entertaining, though wildly uneven movie based on the novel of the same name by author Bret Easton Ellis. Ellis is an acquired taste (to say the least), whose novels are comprised mainly of rich, spoiled, and emotionally dead young adults having sex with each other, and doing as many drugs as possible. His novels do have a satirical bent that when adapted properly, can make for very entertaining movies. American Psycho benefited greatly from a sharp script and a terrific performance from Christian Bale. The Rules of Attraction is the best movie adaptation of an Ellis novel. It’s sharp, witty, and shot with an excellent edge by writer/director Roger Avary. The Informers lacks the energy and verve of Rules and the engaging performance of Bale in American Psycho, but it has its own vibe and a few very amusing moments. The multi-strand narrative is uneven, with some stories better than others.

The Informers takes place in the 1980s and is filled with wall-to-wall new wave music and attitude, news reports about President Reagan, and a mysterious   virus (at the time) that would soon become a huge part of the landscape of the world. The movie also has an impressive cast. The standouts include a scary Mickey Rourke as a scummy kidnapper, Jon Foster as a soulless yuppie with a promiscuous girlfriend (the almost always naked Amber Heard), and Brad Renfro in his final performance, a sad commentary considering his jittery and awkward performance. The weakest thread involves Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, and Winona Ryder. The performance by Austin Nichols of One Tree Hill (Chad Michael Murray wasn’t available?) is also pretty weak. The Informers is all about attitude and surface, and this movie has it in spades. Beautifully shot and crystal clear widescreen picture and excellent sound, The Informers made for a mere 18 million dollars, looks terrific. There is also a decent making of featturette that runs 15 minutes, and an insightful commentary by director Gregor Jordan.

The Informers is a mixed bag at best, but the final scene does have an undeniable power. The movie is far too short at only 98 minutes for all of the story threads to make much of an impact, and it appears a lot of the movie was left on the cutting room floor due to time or budget, including a very bizarre and cool-sounding vampire tale that was in the novel. Still, The Informers is entertaining, new wave goodness. It can be kind of fun hanging out with these narcissistic characters, but you wouldn’t ever want to meet any of them in real life.

DVD Grade: B-

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