the buzz log

Corporate satire is a slim but juicy genre. Director Steven Soderbergh has dipped into the wild true story of Mark Whitacre, the highest-ranking whistleblower in FBI history. The convoluted, crazy tale behind "The Informant!" involves bipolar conditions, Nigerian scams, food additives, and the you-can't-touch-me executive hubris that never seems to go away.

How odd? Soderbergh cast Mr. Likeable Matt Damon, who pulled a De Niro by gaining a paunch for the role, as Whitacre.

So what's the scoop behind "The Informant!" If knowing what happened 20 years ago will spoil the movie for you, stop reading. But if you want to know the story-behind-the-story, come on and wade in:

The bipolar whistleblower
In 1992 Whitacre, an Archer Daniels Midland vice president, tells his wife that his company—a massive family-run agricultural conglomerate that calls itself the Supermarket of the World—is fixing prices. His wife makes him tell the FBI. The investigation reveals that Whitacre's at some level a greedy crackpot. Whitacre wires up and helps reveal transgressions, but also gets himself an eight-year jail sentence for stealing $9 million from ADM. Oops. Part of the reason why he embezzled: He fell for one of those Nigerian scams...sent by fax in those early days.

Cruel irony or poetic justice
Besides him, two others get sentenced, including the chairman's son and "heir apparent." On top of the fraud charges, the informant gets another prison term tacked on for managing the conspiracy he helped uncover, a ruling that leaves legal experts puzzled. Insult to injury: His prison term's six months longer than the other two.

How faithful is the movie to real life?
Based on the 600-page book "Informant: A True Story," the movie necessarily has to leave out details. Also, director Soderbergh is more interested in the message about corporate greed. While one reviewer likes his work, she feels Whitacre's moral turnabout was underplayed.

What's the informant doing now?
He went through a life change while in prison...at least, according to his press release and an extensive Q&A with a Christian site. Whitacre, who walked the red carpet for the movie premiere, is using his biochemistry know-how to figure out selenium's health benefits especially in cancer prevention. (His boss helped get Whitacre a federal pardon for one conviction.) He's also the subject of a biography, Discovery Channel documentary, and owes his moral compass to wife Ginger, who made him tell in the first place.