The International Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: February 20th, 2009

The International seems to be hitting theaters at an opportune time in the world.  Right now there’s a general distrust of the banking industry in an environment where corporate corruption has crippled the economy, giving this investigation thriller the opportunity to resonate with just about anyone not wearing a golden parachute.

The plot deposits the audience in the center of an ongoing investigation into the IBBC, one of the biggest banks in the world.  According to brave informants, the international business has been controlling the wide scale trade of worldwide weaponry for the sake of profiting from the debt the conflicts create.  But like any well-crafted conspiracy anyone who knows anything ends up dead.  This is an organization that has plenty of practice making it look like an accident.

One Interpol agent has managed to survive long enough to get close.  Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) has devoted years to uncovering the bank’s shady practices.  Partnered with Manhattan District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), he’s on the cusp of shelling out handfuls of justice.  Together they race towards a resolution, piecing together clues from the recently deceased and tailing persons of interest around various locations.  Both are solid, proven actors, but here they’re given the equivalent of “Ok, now you’re scared!  Now you’re frustrated!  Scared again!”

The pace is quick and complicated, winding its way through a series of clandestine meetings, police work montages, and clean assassinations all shot with a beautiful visual quality.  From violent showdowns to quiet conversations, director Tom Tykwer adds deeper layers of suspense through efficient camerawork.

However, despite its relevant subject matter, stylish sheen, and stellar cast, the film squanders its cinematic capital by peaking early and fizzling to the credits.  The preposterous plot is excusable until the final act when the story ceases to be clever or interesting.

The shroud of mystery and global conspiracy all seem to be funneling to an exciting culmination.  Unfortunately a plot that “involves everyone” doesn’t know how to climax or finish.  Instead, after an intense shootout in the Guggenheim Museum (seen on the poster), the once thrilling chase tapers to a disappointing conclusion given away in the film’s theatrical trailer.

Aside from the gun exhibition at the Guggenheim, there isn’t much to remember from The International.  A golden opportunity is wasted by plummeting script value.  In this economy, I suggest you save your money for something a bit more entertaining.

2.5 out of 5.