The case was against archer daniels midland adm where several companies colluded to keep prices high, so that they could maximize their profits. He ended up with a prison sentence three times longer than any of the criminal executives he exposed. He got to read the world is flat by thomas friedman and i got to read the informant. The informant sheds light on historic whistleblowers abc news. The true story behind the movie american made time. With the documentary informant, lets start with what is known. But the whistleblowers story has a second actand here it is. It guarantees postwatching reading material, as youre likely to scour wikipedia to read up about the true.
The morning after the raid, whitacre accepts a company lawyer who spends all day with whitacre listening to the. And because its based on a true story, its dramatic potential is limited. That ending naturally wouldnt make a cinemascorefriendly the rock movie, which is why david fanning producer of snitch and frontline admits that with true stories when confronted with the. Stories from this american life stories of hope and fear. The stark reality of the story is not very funny, and the ending doesnt give viewers much hope. Although the movie is sometimes played for laughs, the real story was no laughing matter. The story of the fbi agent who strangled his informant. Age revealed in their darkened ends, the long pair of luminous tubes flickered, and one of the bulbs burned dim orange rather than the bright white of its twin.
These whistleblower movies get to play off that kind of clashing set of. I often find fiction films more inspiring than documentaries when it comes to structure, style and texture, and this. The basic story, that the large agribusiness archer daniels midland adm was caught in an international pricefixing scam for food additives would merit coverage in business week but little else. Coming to it on its own terms however this is an engaging story told with a comic air that works and makes the film as entertaining as it is interesting. Discover the full story behind his crime of passion in above suspicion. This story in itself promises a potent account of corporate espionage, but in the informant, thats not the half of itor even an eighth, for that matter. The old adage that the best stories are true couldnt be better supported than by the real life experiences of mark whitacre played by matt damon in this movie, infamously known as the highestranking executive to ever become a whistle blower in us history. The movie concerns itself with mark whitacre damon, an employee of adm, a food production company. I dont think the informant ultimately succeeds either at what it set out to do. A corporate culture cornfed on greed in steven soderbergh. If youre looking for engrossing, factbased films to get caught up in, check out some of the best basedonatruestory movies of 2019. With matt damon, tony hale, patton oswalt, lucas mchugh carroll. The adm pricefixing case was a landmark in global antitrust.
Parents need to know that this engaging steven soderbergh comedy received an r rating principally for language. A true story and millions of other books are available for instant access. The infiltrator true story reveals that john leguizamos character, emir abreu is based on mazurs reallife partner. Twelve and thirteen might tell you everything you need to know about the sales pitch for steven soderberghs the informant. Matt damon portrayed adm whistleblower mark whitacre in the film. Brandon darby once worked with a collective in postkatrina new orleans to provide basic services for the populace. The true story of mark whitacre matt damon who worked for a giant firm that produced lysine. White boy rick whitewashes the real story of richard. The informant is superb reporting in the service of a great story, one with the drama and suspense of a le carre novel. It truly was a team effort, says mazur, and my brother emir. Eichenwald does a masterful job to get the reader through the twists and turns of an emotionally complicated and unstable central figure, mark whitacre, who becomes the fbi informant and then the target of justice deptfbi probes. It is based on a true story first described by journalist kurt eichenwald in his 2000 nonfiction book of the same title. The informant is a true story about archer daniels midland adm and their alleged price fixing in a variety of agricultural markets.
The fluorescent fixture on the ceiling above her head buzzed loudly, and sounded like a flys futile efforts at escape against a closed window. Even as he exposes his companys multinational price. In researching the white boy rick true story, we learned that wershes activities as an offthebooks confidential fbi informant were kept under wraps at the trial, which ended with him being given a life sentence. Theres a responsibility to the truth and what really happened, scafaria says, and its not a black and white story, after all. Mark edward whitacre born may 1, 1957 is an american business executive who came to public attention in 1995 when, as president of the decatur, illinoisbased bioproducts division at archer daniels midland. Once the raid is over, brian learns that whitacre compromised the raid by warning his secretary and two colleagues but continues with the case. Burns, the film stars matt damon as the titular informant named mark whitacre, as well as scott bakula, joel mchale and melanie lynskey. Kurt eichenwald talked about his book the informant. The true story of barry seal, a twa pilot who became a drug smuggler and government informant, played by tom cruise in american made. Adm is so powerful that it calls itself, not unreasonably. Kurt eichenwald, a seasoned whitecollarcrime reporter for the new york times, opens his gripping book with a quote from pirandellos six characters in search of an author, the first. The informant, which opens friday, is based on a true story of the.
What are the top spy movies that are based on a true story. I think this is the kind of story i would rather read a book about instead of seeing a movie on it. The real story of the infiltrator is still ongoing. Set in 1980s detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the war on drugs, white boy rick is based on the moving true story of a. However, the movie ends where mark goes to prison, but mark says that is not where the story should end. The true story was the fbi had discovered through surveillance and informant tips that a young white kid named rick wershe was a frequent visitor to the home of the curry brothers, a family of.
The key to the story is the informant himself, mark whitacre, the president of one of adms largest and most successful divisions. The movie the informant is based on a true story of a lysine pricefixing case. Pictures, participant media and groundswell productions offbeat comedy the informant. Spy movies based on true stories that are reasonably close to the known facts munich 2005 spielberg israeli assassination of munich terrorists fair game 2010 starring sean penn about valerie plame and joe wilson case breach 2007 rober. Set squarely in the american heartland, delving into the inner sanctum of a global corporation, it explores the shifting boundaries of truth and deception, loyalty and betrayal. Mark whitacres largerthanlife role as an fbi mole is forever memorialized in the movie the informant. The conspiracy was an organized effort that toke place in the mid1990s designed to raise the price of the animal feed additive lysine. The true story of waco is still one of contention a new miniseries hopes to humanize those in and outside the doomed compound. A charismatic turn by star matt damon and a consistently ironic tone boost this quietly funny satire about a corporate whistleblower. In the movie, the character of whitacre is portrayed as exhibiting bizarre behavior, including delusions, mania, and compulsively lying. After strangling his informantand pregnant lovermark putnam became the first active fbi agent convicted of murder.
Is there anything more satisfying than watching a movie thats based on a true story. The film, directed by steven soderbergh and produced by george. Matt damon stars as mark whitacre in a scene from, the informant the opening title card of the informant. Matt damon, scott bakula, melanie lynskey, joel mchale. Burns is based on kurt eichenwalds book, the informant, with most of the filming done in central illinois blue mound, moweaqua and decatur.
National bestseller soon to be a major motion picture from warner bros. Matthew mcconaughey raises americas youngest drug dealer. In the informant, awardwinning investigative reporter and new york times bestselling author kurt eichenwald tells the outrageously true story of greed, corruption, and conspiracy that left the fbi and justice department counting on the cooperation of one man. Hollywood went to work making a film version of white boy ricks life, while an hbo documentary crew moved into the prison to film a tellall about his story.
The informant, starring matt damon as mark whitacre, is a thriller about the. The actual subject matter corporate misdeeds may only appeal to teens, however, because it stars matt damon. The true story of white boy rick, the fbis youngest informant. Informant extra credit 040417 the movie the informant is. Based on a bizarrely true story, this is the tale of mark whitacre, a young executive at a food processing corporation who one day tells the fbi that he would like to blow the whistle on illegal. The serious story behind the informant the informant opened in theaters on friday. A rising star at agriindustry giant archer daniels midland adm, whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Indeed, at the end of the movie he ends up in jail. Whitacre assisted the fbi in compiling hundreds of audio and video tapes, documenting adms price fixing this book was a tradeout between me and a friend. The infiltrator is a true story, but its also a movie with a beginning, middle and an end. The movie is based on a true story and sends some mixed messages about corporate ethics. In late 1992, the fbi was called to investigate a bizarre extortion scheme at the decatur, illinois, headquarters of archer daniels midland, the countrys largest producer of food and grain additives. Mark, a top level executive at a fortune 500 company, became a whistleblower to a huge price fixing scandal in the early 1990s that led. The infiltrator movie vs true story of robert mazur, emir.
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