Review: The International

The International

OPENING: 02/13/2009

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Is your money making a killing?

Opening Statement
The International is a very silly movie about very smart people. It’s the sort of film brilliantly satirized by Burn After Reading, a very smart movie about very silly people. Honestly, in the wake of that savagely funny Coen Brothers film, is it even possible for the paranoid political thriller to seem credible again?

Facts of the Case
Directed by Tom Twyker, best-known for the thriller Run, Lola, Run, the film’s heroes are a rugged Interpol agent (Clive Owen) and an ambitious member of the New York District Attorney’s office (Naomi Watts). They’re working together on an investigation of some powerful figures within the world of international banking. These high-powered, super-secretive bankers are apparently behind all sorts of arms deals, political assassinations, and other terribly sordid activities. It’s a murderous network of corruption that seems to have strong roots in every government organization throughout the world. Slowly but surely, our dynamic duo realize they won’t be able to solve anything by working within the system, because the system is so corrupt.

The Evidence
Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I do not for one instant doubt the corrupt nature of humanity. I believe that there are evil people all over the world, that lots of unsavory people are in bed with lots of other unsavory people, and that there are conspiracies we know nothing about. However, I do not believe these corrupt networks are half as well-organized or efficient as the movies would have us believe. The International suggests the world is run by an unstoppable, well-oiled machine of corruption that cannot be slowed down in any way. I believe the world is a whole lot more chaotic and confusing than that, even for the villains. Any moments of lucidity and luck are overwhelmed by these dominating factors of chaos and confusion.

It’s not difficult to buy the cynicism The International is selling, but this is a film that doesn’t seem to recognize that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes things are precisely what they seem. If you don’t believe that, perhaps you’ll enjoy The International a good deal more than I did, because it’s a professionally crafted adventure featuring some perfectly solid performances. Clive Owen does the whole “disillusioned hero” thing rather well, and Naomi Watts brings an intelligent class to an underwritten part. The people having the most fun are the international character actors playing the villains. Watch Armin Mueller-Stahl and observe the various shades of resignation he exhibits. Here is a man who seems to understand the system he is working for will destroy him without hesitation, and the only way he can prolong his time on Earth is by continuing to build the system up.

Considering Twyker’s reputation for dramatic flair, I was surprised by The International‘s reserved nature. Even so, there are times when the director’s recognizable style shines through. The obvious highlight is a crackerjack action sequence inside the Guggenheim in New York. I marveled over the sheer skill of the scene and wondered how on earth Twyker managed to destroy the museum so convincingly. Twyker has a tendency to take pride in all his location shooting, frequently pulling back for sweeping portraits of various grand locales, as if to say, “This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most glorious parts of (insert country here)!”

Closing Statement
There are pleasures to be found, but sadly these seem a bit like lovely trimmings on a product rather lacking in core substance. The film may be crafted with skill, but the fact that it doesn’t recognize just how ridiculous the whole scenario is prevents The International from being consistently entertaining. The film desperately wants the one thing it is simply not capable of achieving: to be taken seriously.

The Verdict

6/10

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