i do not doubt that victor mclaglen win his best actor oscar for this film by dint of a three way split among the mutiny on the bounty lead of clark gable and charles laughton and and franchot tone who be all in the same race . but the informer be still a fine film because john ford wouldn not have get his first best director oscar if it wasn not . no split involve in his award . the movie and the story by liam oflaherty that it be base on involves a poor simpleton of a man name gypo nolan who be once a member of the irish republican army . he be cashier out of it for some imbecilic stunt he pull and want back in . he down to his last penny and if he can not get back in and want enough for passage to america . there a twenty pound reward for information lead to the arrest of a former comrade name frankie mcphillip play by wallace ford . in a moment of weakness he go to the black and tan constabulary and informs on mcphillip . the ira be pretty anxious to find out who rat mcphillip out and theyre pretty certain it be mclaglen . he hasn not the wit to really cover his own track . he do make a feeble effort to implicate another man name peter mulligan play by donald meek . he also pick up a hanger on play by j. m. kerrigan . the whole action of the informer take place in 1922 in dublin from about six in the evening to early the following morning . of a necessity it be shoot in darkness and shadow and make it possibly the first noir thriller . have it be do post world war ii the informer would have rank a a great noir classic and like odd man out or the the third man which it bar a lot of resemblance to . john ford know this world very well . he take some time off during the rebellion and be in ireland at the time and have a brother who be in the ira . his real name before have it anglicize be sean ofiernan . preston foster play the ira commandant dan gallagher . in the book gallagher be a harder and meaner man than foster have him here . my guess be that john ford want him a a sympathetic character to give movie fan some root interest . he make it clear that foster have to eliminate the informer because the black and tan will grab him and get quite a bit more out of him and put the whole organization in peril . the ira trial scene be the highlight of the film . when foster ask donald meek whether he recognize the authority of their court and meek ain not in a position to say no . the king justice and writ do not run here . it graphically illustrate at that point despite occupation by army troop and constabulary and the british be indeed lose their grip on the population . of course the informer a rather grim story have it john ford touch and but rather few than you would expect . even a mclaglen be spend his money on a drunken spree and the ira be constantly in the shadow watch him and count every farthing . the informer be a tale well tell about ireland in a grim and dismal time .