Thanks for the memories!

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The Informer may have gathered a little rust over the years with some arch performances and ill fitting slapstick but the pointed theme of guilt and betrayal still resonates with passion and power. Given that a calmer but divided Ireland exists the roots and cause of the still active IRA remains fresh in memory to this day . IRA washout Gypo Nolan is broke and desperate. Quidless and without means of income he falls prey to the lure of turning in his former comrade and still best friend Frankie McPhilips (Wallace Ford) for the reward so he and his girl who has turned to the streets for work can start anew in America. Instead it turns into a drunken, dark night of the soul for Gypo.There is not an ounce of daylight in The Informer as John Ford creates a stifling and suffocating ambiance of fog and shadow in the dimly lit streets of Dublin not only as a metaphor for Gypo's logic but the state of Ireland as a whole. Cinematographer Joseph August does a powerful job of bringing mood to Ford's claustrophobic compositions in ghostly shadows and silhouette while Fritz Steiner's score accents the melancholy.The rock at the center of The Informer however is the purposely overbearing performance of Victor McLaglen. One note actor that he tended to be McLaglen is pitch perfect as the blustery, bombastic dim witted bully prone to sweeping mood swings of blotto euphoria and violent paranoia. One moment your furious with him, the next in sympathy. All consuming as his character is in the film there also remains enough room for little gems from JJ Kerrigan as a hanger on and one tension breaking scene by Donald Meek as an accused informer who in spite of his grave situation succumbs hilariously to his Irish gift of gab.Ford displays a touch of heavy handedness with a wanted poster leitmotif and he does allow his actors to get a little strident at times but overall The Informer captures the grinding sense of desperation of a people caught in the fog of oppression as well as present the sodden Gypo's lurching road to redemption with a conviction that still retains much of its power seventy years later.

During the Irish rebellion of the 1920s, a rebel turns in one of his friends for a reward. Once regarded as a towering achievement for Ford, winning him his first Oscar, it now stands as one of his most dated films, mainly due to the terrible overacting. McLaglen is the main offender here, playing his larger-than-life drunkard so over-the-top that it's painful to watch these days. Of course, the Academy awarded him an Oscar for it and he went on to play variations on this character in numerous other Ford films, mostly Westerns. The rest of the cast is equally bad. The film is visually impressive, but it's hard to look past the melodramatics.

Informer, The (1935) **** (out of 4) Incredible story of a man (Oscar winner Victor McLaglen) who informs on a friend and then is haunted by guilt while Irish rebels try to figure out who the informer was. I'm really not sure which side Ford was on because the film makes you think about both sides and what the outcome should be. For me personally, I felt sorry for McLaglen and didn't want anything bad to happen to him. I understood the rebels side of things but at the same time I found that they were pretty hypocritical and I wonder if Ford was going after this as well especially since the movie ends in a Church. I haven't read any books on Ford so again, I'm not sure which side he was on but the movie certainly makes you think about everything you've watched. McLaglen is downright brilliant in his role and I'd say this is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. The rage, sadness and confusion he brings to this character is quite startling to watch. The supporting cast is very good as well and features strong performances by Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Joe Sawyer and Donald Meek. Wallace Ford and Uno O'Connor both are good in their small roles. Ford's direction is top notch as he perfectly captures the mood and feeling of the story. The cinematography is also terrific and really puts you in the setting. This is a rather unique little film that works on many levels.

Yet again, early morning television proves an invaluable resource for films that I otherwise would never have been able to track down. At four o'clock in the morning, I stumbled out of bed to begin recording 'The Informer (1935),' my fourth film from prolific American director John Ford, and an excellent one at that. Set during the Irish Civil War in 1922, the screenplay was adapted by Dudley Nichols from the novel of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty. Though he was born in the United States, and is most renowned for his "Americana" pictures, both of Ford's parents were Irish, which explains the director's decision to direct the film. Victor McLaglen plays Gypo Nolan, a brutish but well-meaning ruffian who informs on an old friend, Frankie McPhillip (Wallace Ford), in order to claim the £20 reward for his girlfriend, Katie (Margot Grahame). When Frankie is killed during his attempted arrest, the Irish Republican Army, of which both Frankie and Gypo were members, begins to investigate the traitor behind the incident, every clue bringing them closer and closer to the real culprit.Meanwhile, Gypo is plagued with guilt for his friend's untimely death, and descends into a bout of heavy-drinking that rivals Don Birnam in 'The Lost Weekend (1945)' in its excessiveness. As Gypo drowns his sorrows in copious volumes of alcohol, trapped in a vicious little circle of depression, his extravagant spending captures the attention of the investigating IRA members. For the one time in his life, Gypo finds himself surrounded by admirers (including an amusing J.M. Kerrigan), who enthusiastically clap him on the back and christen him "King Gypo" for his physical might. However, it's obvious that these people feel no affection for the man, and are simple showing him attention to exploit him for money. The additional £20 brought by Frankie's death could never buy Gypo an assembly of friends – indeed, in a bitter twist of irony, the money was only made possible by the betrayal and loss of one of his only good companions. A relatively simple fellow, Gypo could not possibly have fully considered the consequences of his actions, and is eventually offered forgiveness on account of his "not knowing what he was doing," but his foolishness must not go unpunished.Criticism is occasionally levelled at Ford's film for its allegedly propagandistic support of a "terrorist" organisation. Though this stance obviously depends on one's personal views {I certainly don't know enough Irish history to pass judgement}, there's no doubt that the film portrays the Irish Republican Army as selfless, dedicated and impartial, a proud piece of Irish patriotism if I ever saw it. However, the main theme of the story is that of betrayal; driven by intense poverty, one ordinary man betrays the confidence of his good friend, and comes to deeply regret his actions. The tormented Gypo is played mainly for pity, and Victor McLaglen gives a powerful performance that betrays a lifetime of unsatisfying existence, culminating in one terrible decision that condemns him to an uneasy death. 'The Informer' was John Ford's first major Oscar success, winning a total of four awards (from six nominations), including Best Actor for McLaglen {who snatched the statue from the three-way favourites of 'Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)'}, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Dudley Nichols {who declined the award due to Union disagreements}.