70
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Village VoiceErnest HardyVillage VoiceErnest HardyInformant is riveting as it slowly assembles a damning profile of its subject. It's also timely.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe force of Darby's personality -- a rich stew of righteousness, arrogance and self-delusion -- gives the doc a psychological appeal independent of politics.
- 80The DissolveNoel MurrayThe DissolveNoel MurrayWhat makes Informant so effective is that while its focus is on Darby, the story has a larger scope.
- 80NPRElla TaylorNPRElla TaylorAmong other things, this powerfully confused man is a study in American extremity.
- 75Slant MagazineSlant MagazineIt creates a useful distance between Brandon Darby and his stories that allow for us to assess them individually, reinforcing the film's suggestion that the truth is elusive.
- 70SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'Hehir[An] evenhanded and carefully crafted documentary.
- 60Time OutMichael AtkinsonTime OutMichael AtkinsonThis shadowy film may ooze with espionage enigma, but Darby’s real-life role finds him casting himself as a crusader; he’s like a hipster Zelig, lost among media appearances, evasive social principle and TV-propagated naïveté.
- 60The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldMr. Meltzer doesn’t quite find an effective tone or structure to stay on top of his unsettling person of interest.
- 60Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinWhat emerges is a vague, often chilling impression of an unpredictable opportunist and provocateur who may not even be sure himself.
- Meanwhile, there’s a potentially fascinating theme imbedded in Darby’s story that goes largely unexplored: the idea that modern protest is little more than theater, and that the participants on both sides are just actors playing roles.