The International is an American-German action thriller film that was inspired by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International banking scandal. It was directed by Tom Tykwer and stars Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. Unfortunately, The International is one of those movies that fails to deliver on what it promised. Uninspired and inconsequential, it tries to come off as a slick, fast moving conspiracy thriller (in the style of The Bourne Trilogy) but doesn’t come even remotely close. Instead, audiences are forced to sit through a pretentious and half -baked mess that is as low on luster, passion and energy as it is on intrigue and thrills.
Directed by Tom Tykwer (2002’s Heaven), the film boasts decent performances and some picturesque destinations, but it is undone by a frustratingly shallow storyline.
Penned by screenwriter Eric Singer, the film introduces us to Louis Salinger (Clive Owen), an Interpol agent, who, along with his partner, Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) is investigating the shady dealings of a powerful international bank, which uses its power and influence to fund war and terrorism.
In their work to bring down the bank’s insiders, Salinger and Whitman (an assistant district attorney in New York) are consistently hampered by local lawmen. While tracking assassins, illegal arms deals and other dangerous stuff, Salinger discovers not only how wide the bank’s nefarious influence spreads, but how loosely he will have to act within legal boundaries if he’s to succeed in his quest.
Owen does his best to elevate the film into engrossing espionage territory but it his hard-edged focus and steely moral clarity aren’t enough. Watts, who has seemingly mastered the art of portraying ‘the damsel in distress’, is incredibly underutilized here.
There are occasional dashes of style and some appealing camera shots that almost make the movie halfway worthwhile. The film’s centerpiece, and only highlight, is an incredible shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum with bullets, flying plaster and shattering installations. That’s about the only reason to see this hugely disappointing movie.
Submitted by Karen G., Pembroke Pines, FL.
Leave a Reply