THE INTERNATIONAL (B-)
The film I was looking forward to the most in the month of February was The International, and after long await I finally saw it. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts in the same film had to be great, especially in a thriller like this one. But as you can tell from my tone, this film let me down. It could have been because I was hoping for too much and expected this film to be amazing.
Clive Owen (Inside Man) is Detective Sallinger, an Interpol agent and the main character in this story. He is working with Elenor Whitman, a New York Prosecutor played by Naomi Watts (King Kong) to bring down a powerful bank that funds terrorism, and will go to any brutal means to contain their secrecy. The story begins as one of Clive Owen's partners is mysteriously killed as they get closer to the truth about this corrupt bank called The International.
Sallinger and Whitman work together but against the permission of their bosses. They are attempting to uncover the diabolical activities of The International, but the bank is exceptional at hiding their schemes through the wealth of their resources. The action is fast and exciting with gun battles and car chases. The story is just as fast, but the script is too confusing for viewers to keep up. Too many names and prior event references to easily keep pace. The plot is simple, man vs. bank, but it is confusing to get to the ending. The writers tried to get so much information into the script that they forgot to do any story telling. No background on the characters, or development throughout the film. The script was the weakest link in this film.
The anticipation to see this film was much higher than my review of it after seeing it. Good acting, but no chemistry between the main characters. The film had decent directing with plenty of action to keep viewers happy. The International was interesting for most of the time, but following the plot was not always easy. Too much unimportant and intriguing dialogue. This film has no heart, makes the viewer feel no emotions. The International probably would not do well for a casual viewer with its complexity and overall weak value. I would recommend seeing 3 different films in the theaters before this one. This film was a big let down. I say wait for the DVD unless you love Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, or films that feature a BlackBerry commercial.
