Clive Owen (Sin City, Children of Men) stars as obsessive Interpol Agent Louis Salinger, who teams up with Manhattan District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, played by Naomi Watts (The Ring, King Kong) in the new American-German conspiracy/suspense film, The International.
In the film, the two pair up to try to bring down one of the world’s most powerful banks, the International Bank of Business and Credit, or IBBC. The IBBC is suspected of a multitude of illegal activities, such as money laundering, arms trading and the destabilizing of governments. Everyone who has stood in the bank’s way has an odd habit of disappearing or dying in “accidents.”
When Salinger’s partner is murdered after meeting with an IBBC executive who was about to “flip” and give up information about a shady arms deal the bank is working on, he and Manhattan DA Eleanor Whitman become consumed with tracking down any leads that will help solve the string of murders associated with the IBBC and any information about the arms deal. When the informant dies in a mysterious car accident mere hours after his partner is murdered, the pair pick up a lead that sends them all across Europe. As the death toll rises, Salinger must determine the price he is willing to pay to continue in his chaotic mission for justice.
While a bit slow for a “suspense” film for the first half of the movie, the action picks up as Salinger and Whitman get closer and closer to the truth.
What the film lacks in pacing, it somewhat makes up for with the great cinematography, with beautiful shots of Milan, Berlin, Istanbul, etc. and amazing visuals of landmarks such as the Guggenheim Museum and the Hagia Sophia. The dialogue seems a little bland at times, as it tries to put emphasis on “gamesmanship,” but it comes off a bit forced.
German Director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) takes the idea of a conspiracy of big international banks and corporations and runs with it. While there’s more than enough merit in the idea of multi-national banks controlling people and governments through debt, thus gaining power over conflicts, nations, etc., it seems like this point will be lost on an audience who for the past six months has seen major banks fail due in no small part to the ineptitude of their CEOs.
The International is a solid flick, although its major drawback is that it won’t appeal to the majority of moviegoers who want high-paced action. In the end, it feels like they should have stuck with a pure conspiracy/suspense movie in the same vein as Michael Clayton, instead of trying to infuse it with several action scenes to draw in more viewers.
