Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inert police thriller has guns, violence, drug abuse.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Confidential Informant
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT, narcotics officers Tom Moran (Dominic Purcell) and Mike Thorton (Nick Stahl) fought in the war in the Middle East together and are inseparable. They employ a stool pigeon (the informant of the title) known as Señor (Erik Valdez) to help them on the street. Then Tom learns he has cancer, with no chance of recovery. Speaking with a fellow officer who's now retired, Tom and Mike learn that a regular pension doesn't go very far -- but if an officer is killed in the line of duty, his family will be well taken care of. So Tom comes up with a plan to get shot and killed on duty to help provide for his wife (Kate Bosworth) and young son. Mike resists but eventually agrees to help. The plan comes off without a hitch, but unfortunately Internal Affairs agent William Learner (Russell Richardson) suspects something fishy.
Is It Any Good?
This crime thriller starts out with a good idea but quickly flounders in its attempts to turn it into a good story. It's dramatically inert and feels stretched out, packed with moments of empty filler. Confidential Informant introduces viewers to the alarming concept that dying in the line of duty is much more financially rewarding than meriting a regular police pension. But making that idea move and pulse is a problem. Moran keeps his condition secret from his wife, so his "home" scenes are meaningless (and Bosworth has nothing to do except cry at her husband's funeral). Meanwhile, Thorton spends his evenings drinking himself into oblivion and throwing his money away on a stripper, a subplot that doesn't seem to tie into the story at all.
Top-billed Mel Gibson mostly sits behind a desk with an electric fan, smoking cigarettes and occasionally barking at people. The informant of the title, Señor, is barely treated as a human, and his sacrifice isn't even acknowledged. Only Learner has a forward thrust, but the movie treats him as an interloper and wants viewers to root against him. All in all, Confidential Informant might be a powerful call to fix a broken system, but it's not much of a movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Confidential Informant's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Would you have done what Moran did in this story? Why, or why not? How could the system that caused two deaths be fixed?
How are drinking, smoking, and drug use portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How is sex/nudity portrayed? Are women objectified? Do they have agency?
Do you think that Learner does the right thing in the end by allowing Moran and Thorton to get away with their scheme? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 30, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : June 27, 2023
- Cast : Mel Gibson , Nick Stahl , Dominic Purcell , Kate Bosworth
- Director : Michael Oblowitz
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, drug use, some violence and graphic nudity
- Last updated : June 30, 2023
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