The Informant!

Steven Soderbergh is a weird director who makes diverse, weird, and compelling films. The Informant! is part of that plethora. It's stars the goofy Matt Damon as a man who is a genius, and yet a fucking idiot. His name is Mark Whitacre (based on the true story). He's a whistle blower, goes informant in the early 90's for the FBI and admits his companies price-fixing. For years he acts informant, but he's so stupid that he practically narrates what's going on while he's bugged. The FBI knows he's slightly retarded, but they are touched by the great risk Whitacre has put himself at. In fact, Whitacre will eventually lose his job and massive salary because of what he's doing. Once he realizes this however, he starts embezzling. The way that Matt Damon conveys the character is quite masterful, the oddities of the man and his interesting quirks--hell, what motivates him is a mystery! Thus, we are given a trenchantly interesting character in a film that's merely well-done. The Informant! is quite a good movie.
The Informant: ★★★1/2