The Informers

The Informers is currently streaming in the US on Amazon Prime Video and fuboTV, and its case-by-case structure never gets in the way of the bigger story. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 256 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Billy Bob Thornton sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on Amazon Prime Video and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Informers earns its spot. At its heart, The Informers understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. A collection of intersecting short stories set in early 1980s Los Angeles, depicts a week in the lives of an assortment of socially alienated, mainly well-off characters who numb their sense of emptiness with casual sex, violence, and drugs. Billy Bob Thornton and Kim Basinger lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2008. What makes The Informers hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find The Informers proves them wrong. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Billy Bob Thornton's performance is the kind that shows up on best-of lists years later. If you have been looking for something to fill the gap left by a recently finished story, this is a reliable answer.