The Interpreter

[MacGuffin]

Trailer here.

Release Date: February 18th, 2005 (wide)

Cast: Nicole Kidman (Silvia Broome), Sean Penn (Tobin Keller), Max Minghella, Catherine Keener, Maz Jobrani, Tsai Chin, Jesper Christensen, Sophie Traub

Director: Sydney Pollack (Random Hearts, The Firm)

Screenwriter: Charles Randolph (The Life of David Gale), Scott Frank (Minority Report)

Premise: Kidman stars as African-born U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome, who inadvertently overhears a death threat against an African head of state scheduled to address the United Nation's General Assembly. Realizing she's become a target of the assassins as well, Silvia's desperate to thwart the plot...if only she can survive long enough to get someone to believe her. Sean Penn is Tobin Keller, the federal agent charged with protecting the interpreter, who nonetheless suspects she may not be telling the whole truth. Silvia and Tobin, by nature, see life from different points of view: one, a U.N. interpreter, believes in the power and sanctity of words; the other, a Secret Service agent, believes in reading people based on their behavior, no matter what is said.

[Just Withnail]

I usually end up hating political thrillers starting with "The".

[Gold Trumpet]

One can only expect a minimal enjoyment from a director, who for me, has pigeonholed his own career to be mirror images of past films. I've always assumed Pollack was influenced more by Hitchcock than he should have been, but he pronounces it fully with The Interpreter. The film is enjoyable, even involving on some levels, but its manufactured content. Like many Hitchcock films, the photography is beautiful but standard. Improvisation on camera angles only come at the height of the ending climax. Penn running into Kidman's apartment to kill the assasin was that moment. Its good to be subtle, but the problem is that Pollack's touch was expected. Hitchcock only skewed his own image right at the very moment of tension heightened and did it so consistently through out his career it became a staple of what to expect.

Then there is the non-acting career of Nicole Kidman. These days, it doesn't matter what role she has or what emotion she's suppose to go through, she will look gorgeous at the same time. Until Cold Mountain, I didn't know colonial women had the availability of modern beauty products. There's a ridiculous scene in The Interpreter where a picture of Nicole Kidman walking side by side with rebel fighters holding a machine gun is held up and the only evidence she is fighting the dirty fight is that she has a black smear on her face. She's a walking model in her films and everytime she does reach a point where she shows any vulnerability, I never can believe her. It feels too manipulitive for someone who doesn't have a very interesting presence on screen. Also, she suffers from the Julia Roberts complex who in most of her films, has to play a character who has a career that is culturally adored by everyone. Here Nicole Kidman is a woman of the world working at the UN and living in an apartment with art prints and all the latest trendy furniture to boot. The film even acknowledges she just doesn't drive any scooter, but a classic 60s scooter. Very trendy.

Then there is Sean Penn, who has a face interesting enough to match a character of depth. He's given a few scenes to really bite into, but even though I think he's a great actor, I don't think he's really one of the best. He's too professional for his own good. When he has confessional scenes to Kidman to address his own pain, I could tell he was under control of everything he had to say in those scenes. He played them like an orchestra carefully climbing to hit a certain note. He was very restrained in this film and all his outbursts felt very careful. Compare that to Emma Thompson who in Love Actually had one scene where she played the character straight and then loss complete control and instantly had to pick herself up to save face because she was having an outburst in public. There was a sense of realness in Thompson's performance that makes me think that all the greatest actors have to keep a degree of amatuer to their work because professional acting can become very methodic and very easy to read.

[Ghostboy]

Great review.

I - like everyone else, apparently - have yet to find sufficient reason to rush to the theater to see this. When a film's only real selling point is that it was shot in the UN, it's hard to muster much excitement.

[meatball]

Like many Hitchcock films, the photography is beautiful but standard. Improvisation on camera angles only come at the height of the ending climax. Penn running into Kidman's apartment to kill the assasin was that moment. Its good to be subtle, but the problem is that Pollack's touch was expected.

Darius Khondji was the DP?! His cinematography in Se7en and Panic Room was spectacular! To see that he's responsible for this average looking film was a surprise.

Whenever I see a "Rear Window Sequence", I immediately disapprove. Mann did it in Collateral and I checked out because I felt like I was being served leftovers. The same applied here.

There's a ridiculous scene in The Interpreter where a picture of Nicole Kidman walking side by side with rebel fighters holding a machine gun is held up and the only evidence she is fighting the dirty fight is that she has a black smear on her face.

I cringed everytime I saw the shoddy face replacement. The rebel rally picture, in particular, looked like a kid playing with photoshop.

Then there is Sean Penn... I could tell he was under control of everything he had to say in those scenes. He played them like an orchestra carefully climbing to hit a certain note. He was very restrained in this film and all his outbursts felt very careful.

Everything in this film was under complete control. You could feel it in your bones. I felt like a baby cradled in the arms of the elder statesman. It was going to be intriguing and suspenseful, but I knew Papa Pollack would take care of me. Great review, Gold Trumpet. I want more of them.[/size]

[foray]

Weird how Silvia Broome left her curtains open after an intruder came in and waved to her from the window. Myself, I'd bolt the windows shut and make sure no one could see me from outside.

[Pozer]

Great review.

I - like everyone else, apparently - have yet to find sufficient reason to rush to the theater to see this. When a film's only real selling point is that it was shot in the UN, it's hard to muster much excitement.

Sean Penn sells it for me. I fully agree with GT's review though. and there really is nothing more to say about the film.

[Ultrahip]

It's horrible.

[atticus jones]

Then there is the non-acting of Nicole Kidman...She's a walking model in her films

yeah, she was hot in the hours...

glad your review was so spot on for sum (ghastboy, pozer and meathead)...your cumments are yousually right on...as in write on and on and on...these tasteless golden crumpets are left out rather than write on...not a healthy alternative...

leave the penn alone and walk away from the lame general ghey shuns...

attiroguerum

[Sigur Rós]

It's horrible.

That sums up what I thought about it. I basically hated everything about this movie. Kidman was boring and Penn was a stupid cop. The romance was akward. I also hate movies where they make up countries...

[jtm]

It's horrible.

I also hate movies where they make up countries...

The Terminal was good. at least i thought so.

[Sigur Rós]

I also hate movies where they make up countries...

The Terminal was good. at least i thought so.

I most admit that I haven't seen it. The made up country thing has kept me from it  

[jtm]

The made up country thing has kept me from it  

the made up country bit is quite incidental, so don't let that be the reason for stopping you from seeing it..... i really enjoyed it, despite Catherine Zeta-Jones, completely pointless character.

[Pozer]

Then there is the non-acting of Nicole Kidman...She's a walking model in her films

yeah, she was hot in the hours...

glad your review was so spot on for sum (ghastboy, pozer and meathead)...your cumments are yousually right on...as in write on and on and on...these tasteless golden crumpets are left out rather than write on...not a healthy alternative...

leave the penn alone and walk away from the lame general ghey shuns...

attiroguerum

I fully agree with what atticus jones says.

[Weak2ndAct]

When Penn kills a baddie, does he say 'interpret this!'?