The International

International, The

I was eagerly awaiting “The International’s” release since it was announced for two reasons – the very interesting plot (at least it seemed so on paper) and Clive Owen in the lead role. Unfortunately, I’ve missed it on the big screen so I was waiting for a DVD release. I was even more hyped when I read Owen’s statement that the film turned out to be more of an action film along the way.

That was an overstatement. “The International” is definitely story driven, with almost no action sequences at all. Come to think of it, there’s only one – a shootout in the Guggenheim Museum. I don’t mind the lack of action, but the truth is “The International” actually doesn’t have that good of a story - the idea is great, but the final result is mild. Well, what I missed the most was real tension. As it deals with an international banking conspiracy, I expected it to put me more “on the edge”. The characters, all of them, except maybe Wilhelm Wexler played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, have no depth and charisma to make you feel for them.

To put it simply, “The International” is a bit too minimalistic for my taste. A couple of shootouts or chases wouldn’t hurt, but other than that – a solid film. Also, I do have to give credit to some great scenery shots and very good camera work, along with some awesome quotes:

Umberto Calivini

    The IBBC is a bank. Their objective isn't to control the conflict... it's to control the debt that the conflict produces. You see, the real value of a conflict... the true value... is in the debt that it creates. You control the debt, you control everything. You find this upsetting, yes? But this is the very essence of the banking industry to make us all, whether we be nations or individuals, slaves to debt.

Arnie

    You need to remember there's what people wanna hear, what they wanna believe... there's everything else, and then there's the truth.

Wilhelm Wexler

    Well, this is the difference between truth and fiction. Fiction has to make sense.


Rating: 7/10

- review by Ventilation Shaft

Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-07-14 08:02:55 by CoolAwesomeDuo

The International

The International - Directed by Tom Tykwer, starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, and Armen Mueller-Stahl - Rated R

Commodus enjoyed the shootout, but soon forgot what it was all about.




Not much to say on this one. The main thing The International is known for is a lengthy shoot out scene that takes place in the Guggenheim. That scene is quite impressive but it is not representative of this movie at all. This is not an action movie. It's called The International and it is basically all about international intrigue. Owen (who pretty much sleepwalks through this, which may have been the point, but I'm getting tired of seeing him act like this) plays an Interpol agent who is working in conjunction with the New York D.A.'s office (represented by Watts) to try and takedown a bank that is trying to control the supply of arms to third world countries at war. Of course it's much more complicated than that, but if you're into assassinations and the dark goings on of corporations then you should be entertained. If all that stuff about banks and corporations bores you, then just check out the scene on youtube. I am one of those people that dig evil corporation movies so I liked this movie. But I doubt that I'll remember much about it apart from the shootout a month from now. I think this film will have the same fate as Ronin, which is typically only revered for a chase sequence. I do want to mention one more thing, though, that makes this movie stand out to me: they actually track someone's shoe print, which is something I haven't seen for awhile.

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Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

The International

Although a little long in parts. This film is so important and really had to be made. I totally get it, i dont trust banks either. Not to give too much away but the scene in the guggenheim museum is dyanmic to say the least and fuelled with an adrenaline rush which cant be matched this side of Casino Royale. The locations of the filming is very impressive also and Clive Owen is simply brilliant in this kind of role.

http://robinollysays.blogspot.com

The International

What fun!

February's turned into the month where Hollywood shops its smart thrillers. Last year was Scott Frank's sensational "The Lookout." The year before that was Billy Ray's "Breach." This year it's "The International," from director Tom Twyker, who did "Run Lola Run" a few years back, and first-time screenwriter Eric Singer.

Any good thriller relies on a "bubble" of tension that continues to inflate as the story develops.

It requires constant writerly attention to maintain and protect this bubble. A single slow scene, a single deviation from the driving center of the story, can pop it. Once it's popped, you can never really get it back.

"The International" gets the tension bubble going in the first scene and doesn't let it pop until the last. That's very rare. Observe it as you're watching the movie -- and you SHOULD watch this movie. Observe how there's never a moment where you feel safe. There's never a moment where the characters seem on top in their struggle.

Clive Owen and Naomi Watts play an Interpol investigator and a Justice Department official, respectively. The casting is brilliant because both actors are scorching hot sex machines, but just within the range of what you might encounter in real life at a real job. Neither actor looks like a model. Nor do they look seventeen.

We join Clive and Naomi in the middle of their investigation into the sinister International Bank of Business and Credit. That's very topical, of course, but since the script has been in development for several years we can give the filmmakers credit for good timing rather than accuse them of ripping a story out of today's headlines.

Our well-dressed villains are dimensional characters: they are not immoral, just amoral. The amounts of money involved in their work have pushed them beyond considerations of morality, one way or the other. That makes for a good collection of baddies.

The plot is subtle, intricate and smart. At no point does Clive Owen say "I'd like to make a deposit" before shooting a bank president. It's almost hard to believe Hollywood made this movie.

That's not to say there's no action. There's a scene at the Guggenheim Museum that contains the best gunfight since the train station/baby carriage shootout in The Untouchables.

The movie may end imperfectly, but it's the kind of ending that gets you talking in the parking lot. We need more endings like these, not fewer.

I notice "Friday the 13th" scored 42 million this weekend, topping "The International"'s humble 10. That's too bad. If you're interested in a thrilling experience, I can almost guarantee "The International" is your bet.

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THE INTERNATIONAL (2009)

BOTTOM LINE: The first film to play on the potential evil-doings of global banks in the current climate is a mis-directed methodical bore, with no intrigue or thrills and a mis-cast Clive Owen in the lead role.

THE GOOD: There’s a real cool scene early on in “The International” where Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) question an Italian politician about his company’s dealings with the The International, a powerful global bank. He explains to them that a bank is in the business of controlling debt. By controlling debt, they can make individuals, corporations and even entire countries slaves to their power. Given the economic climate we are now living in thanks to the global financial crisis, this theme plays right in to the uncertainty and fear that is plaguing the world at the moment and serves as an excellent springboard for a new type of thriller yet retaining some very old-style genre conventions. There are certain points in this film that make you wonder if banks could be in the position to do these things and herein lies the only real strength of this film. There are also certain points in this film that recall old-style thrillers of people tackling powerful corporations and/or individuals in action-packed and thrilling environments. “The International” will hopefully lead to more films on this topic, even if it does not do justice to its premise.

THE BAD: “The International” has such a great central idea, it’s a shame it’s wasted with such poor delivery and execution. From the beginning, we are told the bank is evil and we just have to accept it. There is no dramatic set-up for the bank itself, or even any clear sequences where we see what actions they are prepared to take to stay in control. A scene where an Italian politician giving a speech at a rally where he is assassinated by members of the Bank is the only time we see them really do something devious, but again, without the dramatic setup, it just becomes another action scene and there’s no hook for us to sympathise with Salinger’s plight to bring them down. Interactions between supposedly important characters are never fleshed out or even clearly drawn. There is only one big action scene in the film where the Bank’s henchman try to gun down Salinger and his contact in the Guggenheim which starts off okay but turns in to a silly and stupid mess by its conclusion (and I mean ‘mess’ because there’s lot of unnecessary blood splurting in all directions in certain shots). As a result, the majority of the film is basically watching a grave-faced and bored Clive Owen telling everyone how he’s going to bring down the bank. There’s no intrigue, investigation, mystery or in the end interest in what happens. The climactic ending where Salinger faces off the head of the bank is so sloppily done that you’ll laugh. “The International” could have been so much more; a modern Hitchcock paranoia film or even just a decent action film, but in the end, it’s just a great idea with no drama or punch line with a drop of stupidity thrown in for good measure.

RATING: 5/10

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Review Title

Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is an interpol agent who is investigating the involvement of International Bank of Business and Credit (IBBC) in an illegal weapon trading activity. As he gets closer to finding out the truth, the people who could be useful to his investigation are being terminated one by one. Furthermore, the authorites do not seem very helpful. Salinger realises perhaps the only way to bring justice is to be part of them….

The International reminds me a lot of The Interpreter (2005), a film by Sydney Pollack. Both involve politics, CIA, corrupted people, and the main actresses, Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, look alike too. I prefer The Interpreter though.

This movie has a serious air throughout which is why it feels a little tiresome halfway to it. However it gets more enganging after a twist in the plot. Naomi Watts seem pretty redundant in the show. She appears briefly and doesn’t do much, but it always help to get a pretty face in a tense movie. Clive Owen, on the other hand, dominates the show and I guess with his straight face, he suits to be in this kind of movie.

I would say this is an average movie. There’s nothing that kicks you, except, maybe, the message of the movie reveals at the end. Other than that…it’s not bad but not enough

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