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- NoName.Mycrowsoft.com - |
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IvanF's Mycrowsoft Noname Brand Website - |
IvanF's Cut and Paste, No-Name Theatrical
Review of
The Interpreter 2005
- IvanFian written April 26th, 2005 -
"I'm having a hard time interpreting just how I feel about this movie...
On the one hand, I appreciate how the film tries to be politically intelligent. The African liberator turned dictator, Zuwanie, is obviously meant to resemble the stories of Mugabe in the news... And for the news informed of the world out there, The Interpreter does definitely deliver on the references. From 9/11, to even the first movie footage ever from within the UN building, The Interpreter was definitely one of the best political thrillers I've seen in years...
On the other hand... I hate political thrillers...
Let's face facts - I'm a film moron, who prefers popcorn movies above all the rest... I'm the one who thought Jurassic Park 3 was way better than the first two in the series (although we should all agree that JP2 sucked ass...). I'm the one who somehow finds the trailer to XXX: State of the Union more interesting than A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (although my god-awful experiences with the first XXX will definitely keep me away from the sequel, thank God)...
The Interpreter definitely had a lot of popcorn moments itself, with basically the last third of the film providing all the action-oriented music that a thriller would ever need... But maybe it wasn't just the political backdrop of everything that pissed me off. Maybe it was just the fact that The Interpreter did set itself up as a Clue 'whodunnit' sort of story. And of course, once you figure out the answer to everything in your head? It just bugs you throughout the rest of the film, that the cast is too damn stupid to ever figure out the truth before the ending...
... short spoilers, to basically the entire film however...
Throughout the film, I knew Nicole Kidman's character would end up being the villain at some point. I also knew she would turn out to be the good guy... although I was kinda hoping for a "The Three" situation here, since Nicole Kidman with glasses and an English accent definitely could be part of my threesome anyday...
In the end, I was both right and wrong... I knew (or thought) that her friends from Africa were setting up her for the inside job, of slowly telling her the facts about her brother's death until she finally snapped and did their assassination job for them... I knew that Silvia would have a smarter plan than just sniping at the guy from the interpreter balcony, so I was pulling my hair out at how slow Sean Penn was being with the whole airport chase and all... And from what Kuman-Kuman said, it was obvious that the whole thing was a 'con'. That line was simply read so loudly and distinctly, that a 'failed assassination attempt could legitimize even the worst tyrants of the world'... So I knew from that point on that Zuwanie was setting the whole thing up himself...
What I couldn't figure out, was how the two things were related... How was Kidman's real assassination attempt of Zuwanie, supposed to mix with the fake assassination attempt on Zuwanie?...
... and in the end, I was disappointed... that they really didn't mix...
First came the fake assassination, and then Kidman stepped up to do her thing... That was about it.
It just felt kinda... I dunno... plain, yet realistic?...
... and who really wants realistic movies these days, am I right?...
Popcorn movies kick ass, afterall...
... end spoilers... except for the spoilers I'll spoil later on, of course...
I admit that I did mostly enjoy myself throughout The Interpreter though. Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman definitely did have chemistry, even though it rolled my eyes everytime they talked on the phone like lovesick, kindred spirits, or held hands as if they were high school sweethearts... I knew they would never kiss, because any movie that tries to take itself seriously these days never gets the crazy girls and guys together in the end. But when Tobin admitted everything about his wife's death to Silvia, only for her to retort with some god-awful story of African vengeance rituals?... bah... it just wasn't my kind of thing...
... either give me nudity, or give me nothing, goddammit...
But for every non-romantic scene, I thought the two worked well together... Although his lines were hokey, Penn did a good job of interrogating Silvia right off the bat, and Kidman did a great job of acting stressed yet 'inconclusively' lying through the whole film... I may have hated their phone conversation, but all the arguments between the two main characters about security and who's the suspect, did create a decent 'whodunnit' atmosphere for at least the first half of the movie... And the bus scene was thrilling, I'll admit that at least. I knew somebody was going to die, and I couldn't believe that Penn refused to tell his men that there were bombs made at the damn apartment... But the thrill of the moment was definitely there, if only because Kidman did a damn fine job, of acting like a pissy little school girl at Kuman-Kuman. That was definitely my favourite scene of the film...
There were very few laughs in The Interpreter. Though a ton of Kidman's lines about the ideals of interpretation ("wars have been started" and blah blah blah) were just so utterly nonsensical that they almost did make me laugh... But for a thriller, I still think The Interpreter was definitely above average. The way they got the sniper rifle into the UN building was rather inventive in my opinion, the NSA guy was obviously evil but he kept me on my heels by guessing who's side he's on, and hell, they even used New York traffic to its best advantage in the film... Who knew that little scooters could actually look threatening? I sure as hell didn't...
And c'mon, you had a ridiculously looking guy wearing a mask on the balcony! How the hell could you not enjoy a film with a ridiculous looking mask?...
I don't know... The Interpreter was a good film for the first half, when I didn't know what was really going on. But once you put one and one together, it just didn't have the kind of action or even the acting to make me want to see the film a second time... Sean penn did nail and pen in stone his role at times. But it just wasn't enough, when the story just wasn't strong enough... not for me, at least...
I've never been a fan of thrillers really, let alone political ones... But Sean Penn definitely did the most with his role, looking both lost and focused at the very same time somehow, as he should. And Kidman?... well, her acting still sucks. But her fake English accent was definitely delicious. And I've always had a thing for dumb blondes with glasses, so...
I'd probably still pick a popcorn movie over The Interpreter anyday. I've always hated movies with morals and political messages, afterall...
But the Interpreter was still a film definitely worth the money I spent on it...
... I wouldn't want the film dead... wouldn't want it gone...
... well, that's the way I interpret things, at least..."
Film Design - 6.5
Enjoyment Factor - 6.5
Overall (not an average)
- 6.5
(1 out of 4 stars)
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- Commentary from a friend -
"Well, I finally did see "The Interpreter" this past Saturday night at 7:45pm...and well, the film was quite entertaining actually. I wasn't too sure how I would react to this film as I kinda had mixed blessings, or feelings walking into the film. I guess the one prejudice that I have against the film is the cold shoulder effect that Sean Penn leaves on the public, whenever he does make a public appearance, and not to mention his strong vocal views of liberal politics, but I digress. But, should this really bother me...I suppose not...but for some reason it just reasonates in the back of mind for some reason or another. I mean, sure, Penn was astounding in "Mystic River"...and his performance in that film alone made me forget his "cold" nature to the ideals of celebrity. Therefore, I have to give credit to where credit is due that Sean Penn really is one of today's best actors.
Now, this current film with Penn co-stars Nicole Kidman as a UN interpreter who believes she has overheard an assassination attempt of a recently turned African dictator, Edmund Zuwanie. Zuwanie happens to be the prime minister of Matobo on the African continent. Now, for the purposes of the film, Matobo and the its language/dialect Ku are make believe. And, I have to say that for a make believe African language/dialect Nicole Kidman does a decent job as an interpreter.
Nicole Kidman plays Sylvia Broom and Sean Penn plays Tobin Keeler. Keeler is a secret service agent who is assigned to Sylvia's case about the impending assassination attempt. His mission is to keep any assassination from not happening at the U.N., which is international territory, but the building is still on U.S. soil. Therefore, Keeler has the full resources of the FBI, CIA, and NSA.
Throughout the film, Keeler vies to protect Broom, however, there is an initial and growing sense that there is more to Sylvia's purpose. It seems that Sylvia's family in Africa was killed by a land mine that was set up in the bush by Zuwanie's government. Now, Zuwanie had apparently started his political career as a fair minded individual who only wanted the best for his people. But, his political career moved towards the "business" of economics and the ever growing need of capitalism. This is where the movie introduces the characters of Kuman-Kuman and Ajene Xola. Now, Kuman-Kuman was and is Matobo's capitalist interest...he has the country's best economic efforts at heart. However, at the same time, Kuman-Kuman is exiled from his country and is living in New York City. Ajene Xola is a close friend and partner to Sylvia's brother, Simon. Where Kuman-Kuman is capitalist at heart, Ajene is a socialist climber. Both men, would love to take down the government of Edmund Zuwanie.
As the film progresses, we learn the motives of Sylvia and why she does what she does. As well, the personal life of Tobin Keeler gets tested, and he finds a sense of solice and a "rebirth" of life if you will. This is because of Keeler's recent marriage loss.
The film is superbly directed by Sydney Pollack. It has some well choreographed thriller/action scenes that really pack a punch. This is exemplified in the bus scene where Sylvia confronts Kuman-Kuman about his brother Simon. As well, the way that the film constructs Zuwanie's interests in coming to the U.N. and his so-called collaborators is decently done.
Also, I must say that Keeler's secret service partner, Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) had quite a bit part...but she did add some decent comic relief into the mix. As well, the building relationship between Sylvia and Tobin I thought was well done, and that it was wise to not have the cheesy romantic relationship. However, I will say that for the most part the final conversation of the film between Tobin and Sylvia was weak, with the exception of Tobin telling Sylvia that they were no longer cappella.
Therefore, I shall give this film a 8/10 and a 3/4 stars."
Film Design - 8.0
Enjoyment Factor - 8.0
Overall (not an average) - 8.0
(3 out of 4 stars)
- Risen Phoenix -