Becoming the first film to shoot inside the United Nations Headquarters, The Interpreter gains points for bringing a unique perspective to a typical thriller. It moves faster than the counter indicates, keeping up great pacing and Sydney Pollack keeps his main stars intertwined for incredibly tense sequences of dialogue. Unfortunately, it leads the viewer too much, becoming obvious and predictable early.
It appears as though this will become a deep, involving mystery, littered with throwaway characters in a desperate attempt to push the viewer off track. It's blatantly obvious from the early going that this will end up in a confrontation between Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman, the two with any actual depth or purpose to the story.
That's the best thing that could have happened to this film. We have two fantastic, capable actors for these roles, perfectly believable in their characters. Kidman's interpreter for the UN is an original position for a film, and though few people ever know the job, it feels authentic.
That leaves the film with a few tense, tightly directed sequences during the few one-on-one dialogue confrontations between the leads. This is when the film is at its best, briskly providing information in a natural style through standard Q & A sessions. Penn and Kidman are perfectly cast here.
Any dialogue is going to lose something when you know the outcome, and The Interpreter loses its grip when too much is given away early. The mystery is gone, the intended tension going right along with it. It's disappointing given the excellent setting and performances.
Even with its obvious flaws, those looking for a light mystery along with some great performances will find that movie in The Interpreter. It will be forgotten in a few years, mixing in with far better films that achieve what this one wanted to. It's worth pressing play if you're caught up with the rest of your library. Otherwise, you likely have better things to watch. (*** out of *****)
Colors are incredible for this 2.35:1 widescreen release. This is one of Pollack's rare widescreen films as he stopped using it after seeing his films butchered on VHS and TV when they used pan & scan. Thankfully for DVD, that's not a problem. It's not just the colors here, but the detail and contrast. It's been configured as perfect as can be expected. Grain is the only hindrance here, along with brief bouts of compression. (****)
Article comments
1 - Triniman
Quite a disappointing film, IMHO. I wouldn't recommend it.