The International
What do you get when you combine Clive Own, Naomi Watts, a couple of assassins, and a plot about a crooked international bank? Yawning. Making two hours feel like two days, “The International” features Owen and Watts as Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant D.A. Eleanor Whitman, who are a mere witness away from taking down the IBBC, “The International Bank of Business and Credit.” As the plot turns like molasses, we find our two heroes chasing down the assassin who killed Salinger’s partner as well as several witnesses to the IBBC’s many crooked dealings. If Salinger and Whitman are going to convict the bank’s president Jonas Skarssen (played by Ulrich Thomsen), they’ll have to move fast, but sadly not fast enough for my liking.
“The International” tries desperately to be a mixed cocktail of globe trotting adventure, “Bourne” like action, and dry but sharp politically infused dialogue. What we get instead is more along the lines of a rated R version of “Where in the World is Carman Santiago?” with one really cool action scene featuring the Guggenheim Museum. Not only has the formula of this film been done before but it’s been done better and that’s really the rub.
Then of course we have the actors. While I enjoy Clive Owen most of the time, I feel like this flick simply gave him two hours to make grumpy faces. Also, is it just me or does he always had a scruffy five o’clock shadow in all his recent films? While Owen spends the film brooding, Naomi Watts just seems to be hanging around waiting for him to lead the way. I’d almost say that with a half an hour rewrite you could completely take her out of the picture and never notice a difference.
Lets also not forget what the film is all about—banks…powerful unstoppable banks. In the current economic climate, where financial Goliaths are dropping like flies and their stock market shares cost as much as a bottle of water, I really don’t think the majority of movie viewing audiences feel like paying ten dollars to watch what they read about everyday in the paper, if they can even afford to go to a movie…or buy a paper for that matter.
2 ½ out of 5 stars