The Unseen Movie Review

The Interpreter

After the immense drubbing the United Nations has got from many pro-war commentators in the United States over the last year or two, it is entirely possible that this film is part of an attempt by the UN to win back some American support. Despite having been featured in innumerable films over the years – perhaps most famously Alfred Hitchcock’s classic North by Northwest – this movie marks the first time any Hollywood filmmaker has been allowed to shoot inside the UN’s New York headquarters.

Ignoring the limited interest of seeing inside the UN HQ (one big skyscraper is, after all, much like any other), the idea of using it as a setting for a thriller is actually very clever. Despite being on US soil, and in the heart of one of America’s greatest cities, the United Nations building is officially not US territory. Much as foreign embassies in London are technically the sovereign territory of the country which they represent, the UN’s headquarters is not bound by US law or jurisdiction. In fact, thanks to the UN being an international organisation, it is not bound by the laws of any country. So, if a crime is committed or plotted within the UN compound, does it actually count as a crime? And if so, who is responsible for investigating it?

So, when UN interpreter Nicole Kidman, working late, overhears a plot to assassinate the leader of an African nation on a forthcoming visit to the UN, who is responsible for checking to see if the threat is real? A US federal investigator, Sean Penn, is assigned to look into the conspiracy and, as is the way of things in political thrillers, aside from the jurisdictional difficulties all may not be as it seems. As Kidman’s interpreter begins to fear that she too may be a target, Penn’s agent gradually begins to uncover a complex international conspiracy closely tied in with the domestic political problems of a small African nation about which he knows nothing.

This film hits all the hot political topics right on the head – the role of the UN, African instability, terrorism, assassination, and the urge to do the right thing even when what that may be remains unclear.

In the hands of veteran director/producer/actor Sydney Pollack, perhaps best known for the 1993 thriller The Firm (starring Kidman’s ex-husband, Tom Cruise), this potentially impenetrably convoluted material has been finely crafted into a stylish, absorbing movie. In this he has been greatly aided by crisp cinematography by the guy who shot modern classic Se7en and the recent Panic Room, as well as the same editor who helped The Firm maintain its tension, and the composer whose scores have added so much extra suspense to all of M. Night Shyamalan’s popular twist-filled flicks, from The Sixth Sense to The Village.

With such an accomplished creative team behind the scenes and two Oscar-winning actors in the leads, it should be no wonder that The Interpreter hits all the right notes. Together, they have produced one of those films ideal for an entertaining, shock-filled night out.

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM