"That's a nice-a donut."
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The Interpreter (2005)
Director Sidney Pollack is no stranger to the thriller genre of film; he has led such big names as Robert Redford as a CIA researcher who finds his coworkers dead one day in Three Days of the Condor, and Tom Cruise as a lawyer in over his head in The Firm. With The Interpreter he returns to the explosive political arena, like with Condor, but to mixed results.
A good portion of The Interpreter takes places inside the United Nations, one of the few movies that have been allowed to film there. It is where Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), formerly of the volatile (and fictional) African country Matabo, is an interpreter. In a place of high-level diplomats and international leaders, she is privy to many important conversations and witness to many crucial speeches and meetings. One night as she is leaving the office she overhears two men talking in her native African language and what she thinks is talk about an assassination attempt on the controversial leader of that country. After reporting the incident, a team from the Secret Service gets involved; not simply investigating the possible plot, but also to determine if Silvia is being truthful or not. Agent Keller (Sean Penn) uncovers details about Silvia's shady past, but eventually warms up to her and begins to protect her. As the big day of the attempt arrives (the leader is scheduled to give a speech), things start to heat up and Silvia's life is threatened.
As interesting and relevant of a plot that it is, The Interpreter is generally disappointing on several levels. First of all, the key scene at the end is highly unbelievable: almost comically so. The political drama - I hesitate to call it a thriller - is very convoluted and misguided in its approach. First, I never really bought the relationship between Penn and Kidman. First he thinks that she is a lying threat, and just like that he is protecting her and caring deeply about her? I don't know if it was Penn's fault, Kidman's fault, Pollack's fault, or the script's fault, but it put a serious damper on the movie and weakened its potential impact.
A number of things make no sense. Why was so much emphasis placed on investigating Silvia, and so little on finding the possible culprits? Why were they at the UN to begin with? Why are there seemingly so many people with access to the UN who speak the rare Mataboan language (which probably a total of three people in the English-speaking world can understand)? Why, for that matter, didn't they just use a real country and a real language? Why the contrived and unneeded subplot about Keller and his family? Why does it take so long for anybody to die? Why were the bad guys so stupid?
In the end, The Interpreter can be fun if you are there to simply enjoy a pair of our leading actors work together. And if you are a fan of political intrigue, then it may be up your alley as well. The movie looks nice, and the scenes on the main floor of the UN are a real treat. But if you want a smart story, with tight plotting, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, then look elsewhere. Or even take a look at Pollack's high point in Three Days of the Condor instead. Because the political thriller may soon be a thing of the past.
The Verdict: C.
Michael Bentley 3:33 PM
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