The Informer (1935)

IMDb plot summary: In 1922, an Irish rebel informs on his friend, then feels doom closing in.

Directed by John Ford. Starring Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, and Margot Grahame.

This is the earliest movie I've seen from John Ford, and I found it frequently infuriating. The titular informer is depicted as someone not particularly bright, and not only does he not think through his plan to inform on his friend, but once he does, he fluctuates wildly between extreme paranoia, where he becomes violent at any mention of the police, and overconfident security, where he recklessly spends so much of the money he betrayed his conscience to get. Ford had a long career directing silent films before venturing into talkies, and you can tell -- there's a definite "silent melodrama" feel to this movie, with many early sections having no dialogue or sound other than the score. The film does ask some interesting questions about forgiveness and personal responsibility, and the cinematography is striking, but you will have to get past the melodramatic acting and narrative style, which is sometimes easier said than done. 

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Informer > 12 Monkeys

The Informer < Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

The Informer < A Goofy Movie

The Informer > Three Colors: Red

The Informer > Children of Paradise

The Informer > The Theory of Everything

The Informer < Mr. Holmes

The Informer < Esther, the Girl Who Became Queen

The Informer > Were the World Mine

The Informer > Albert Nobbs

The Informer > The Crying Game

The Informer < War Horse

Final spot: #1243 out of 3212, or 61%.