The International


Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Directed by: Tom Tykwer
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An Interpol agent (Clive Owen) and a NYC district attorney (Naomi Watts) team up to bring down an international bank involved in murder and other illegal activity.

Review:

Tim: The International is a movie that comes across as a typical, run-of-the-mill thriller that offers nothing new or exciting. Surprisingly, there is much more to this movie than I originally believed. It is not a great movie, but there are some real positives and things to like about this film. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The movie is a fairly good thriller about a massive, conspiracy-filled international bank. The bank almost takes on mythical proportions, as it seems to be willing to do whatever it wants, consequence-free. I like the idea of our lone heroes trying to bring down a seemingly unstoppable entity. This could have been portrayed brilliantly, but it only comes across as somewhat interesting and effective.

The cast is not incredibly effective. I really liked Clive Owen, though. He has some experience in roles like this, and it comes across on screen. He is very good in the film. Naomi Watts is significantly less effective. I know that she is a good actress, but she does not come across as believable here. I could not buy her in this role and she hurt the movie with her weak performance. She does have a few decent scenes, mostly with Owen. However, as a whole, she is disappointing in this movie.

The movie does have some terrific scenes as well. The highlight has to be the absolutely jaw-dropping Guggenheim Museum shootout. I watched, entranced by this incredible scene. It is one of the most intense, remarkable action scenes I have seen in years. I loved it. It is easily the best scene of the film.

The International is an interesting thriller that sadly eventually crumbles under the weight of its own nearly incoherent plot. It does have some brilliant moments, but as a whole, is only a fairly decent movie. I enjoyed it, but it easily could have been much better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Children of Men, Inside Man, Duplicity, Closer