one of john ford best film the informer doesn not feature any grand scenery of the american west . instead the intense drama ford be know for play out on the no less rugged terrain of british character actor victor mclaglen face . the former prizefighter and who once face joe louis in the ring and delivers an academy award win portrayal of disgraced ira soldier gypo nolan on the bad night of his life . the plot be gracefully simple represent in 1922 dublin and a starving and humiliate man who be throw out of the ira for be unable to kill an informant in cold blood and himself become an informant . for £20 he betray a friend to the tan and for the rest of the night he drink and give away his blood money in rapidly alternate spasm of guilt and denial and self pity and and a desperate desire to escape the consequence of his action . it be the remarkable complexity give to the character of the seemingly simple gypo that be the film most impressive achievement . in most movie a burly lout of gypo type would be cast a the heavy and he would have at best two or three line and be dispose of quickly so the hero and the villain could have their showdown . in the informer gypo himself be both hero and villain and while the showdown be in his inner turmoil and every bit of which be explicitly share with the audience . because liam oflaherty novel have previously be film in 1929 and rko give ford a very modest budget . the director and his associate and particularly cinematographer joseph h. august and turn this to their advantage in create a claustrophobic masterpiece about a man at war with himself . in addition to mclaglen oscar the informer also win john ford his first along with win for best screenplay and best score .