what may have worked well on the page (based on novel "Three Seconds") comes unstuck on the big screen as the makers try to shoehorn too many complexities into the running time, leaving gaping holes in the plot and several questions unanswered
an efficiently entertaining thriller from the actor turned director Andrea Di Stefano; It's nothing we've not seen before, but it's pulled off with slick effectiveness and has enough bumps in the road to demand your attention to the end
a talented cast, including Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen and Common, can't do much with ludicrous plotting that repeatedly stretches both credibility and patience, and dialogue so hard-boiled, it has turned chewy and flavourless
a story that's entertaining enough throughout, but proceedings grind to such a choppy, rushed, unsatisfactory halt that it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth
"The Informer" is spread over a big canvas, but by the time of its big finale it is leaking energy. It might have made better sense as an episodic drama on television but it is brash and watchable, its world reeking with cynicism and fear
by Ed Potton [The Times (UK) ]
