The Informer (1935) - film review

Dublin, 1922.  During the Irish Civil War, a poor unemployed man, Gypo Nolan, dreams of starting a new life in America.  If only he had £20, he could take his girlfriend, Katie, with him on a steamboat crossing to the land of opportunity.  Then Gypo sees a poster offering a reward of exactly that amount for the capture of an IRA member, Frankie McPhillip.  Although Frankie is his friend, Gypo has no qualms over betraying him, but as soon as he has collected his reward his conscience begins to trouble him...

John Ford’s first major critical success was this engaging adaptation of a novel by Liam O’Flaherty.  The novel had previously been adapted in 1929 by Arthur Robinson with Lars Hanson as Gypo, and would later provide the basis for Jules Dassin’s 1968 film Up Tight.  The film not only won Ford some rave reviews but also garnered four Academy Awards, in the categories of Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Actor (Victor McLaglen).  This was Ford’s first feature with RKO, made on a shoestring budget of a quarter of a million dollars and shot in just 17 days.

Today, the film isn’t regarded quite so highly as it was when it was first released.  Even by the standards of the 1930s, the film appears very dated, marred by artistic artifice and self-conscious moralising, although it does have some strengths.  McLaglen’s central performance, whilst mannered and theatrical, carries the film and effectively conveys the torment of a man who is torn between guilt and an animal instinct to survive.  

The film’s moody expressionistic set design and cinematography also work well to emphasise McLaglen’s turbulent inner struggle and the stark inevitability of his tragic ending.  Whilst its heavy moralistic tone can appear somewhat laboured and patronising, The Informer is still a potent drama on the themes of betrayal, guilt and forgiveness, with some moments of genuine poignancy, particularly towards the end.   It may not be Ford’s best film, but it is a good example of his early work and contains a suggestion of his later great achievements such as The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and How Green Was My Valley (1941).

© James Travers 2008

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