CORPORATE LINE: Academy Award® winner Nicole Kidman stars for Oscar® winner Sydney Pollack–director of such genre-defining thrillers as The Firm, Absence of Malice and Three Days of the Condor–in The Interpreter, a suspenseful thriller of international intrigue set inside the political corridors of the United Nations.
Kidman stars as South African U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome, who inadvertently overhears a hushed, after-hours conversation in the General Assembly Hall. And what she hears could topple a government…if she can just survive long enough to get someone to believe her.
In the right hallway, at the right time, all it takes is a whisper to tip the balance of power.
From Universal Pictures, Working Title Films and Misher Films, The Interpreter is directed by Sydney Pollack, produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Kevin Misher (The Rundown), and written by Charles Randolph (The Life of David Gale) and Scott Frank (Minority Report).
THE GOOD: Very little.
THE BAD: Two big name stars in roles that are of no interest. Are we surprised to see Sean Penn as a cop who is shattered emotionally? How many movie cops are damaged in one way or another? Are there no police that are normal guys? In real life but apparently not in Hollywood and it’s an immediate turn off.
Nicole Kidman does nothing for the role as the interpreter. It’s actually quite funny to see photos of this gorgeous woman carrying a machine gun. Never once are we ever convinced Kidman is the character she is playing.
There is so little concern in any of the main characters that it’s hard to be interested. None of the action sequences are exciting. Chasing a woman on a moped isn’t exactly suspenseful. There are shootings and explosions that attempt to get us emotionally involved and yet it never works.
THE EXTRAS:
Audio Commentary – Director Sydney Pollack is as usual very interesting. Pollack is the rarity in that he discusses the films as an artist not a comedian.
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes – Very little added of interest.
“Sydney Pollack at Work: From Concept to Cutting Room” – An interesting look at Pollack doing what he does best. We also find out what he likes the least.
“Interpreting Pan & Scan vs. Widescreen” – Pollack again saves what could have been a weak featurette. He has a way of making the seemingly weak into something interesting.
“A Day in the Life of Real Interpreters” – Being an interpreter is important but not extremely interesting to watch.
“The Ultimate Movie Set: The United Nations” – The best featurette of the bunch.
FRANKLY: It’s impossible to recommend The Interpreter. The plot and characters are typical Hollywood clichés. No one involved with the film has enough nerve to make a statement against the real genocides in places such as Rwanda—instead making non-fiction into fiction. The Interpreter is a neutered disgrace of a film.
+ Charlie Craine
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