The International

February 13th, 2009







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The International

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Still of Clive Owen in The InternationalStill of Clive Owen and Naomi Watts in The InternationalNaomi Watts at event of The InternationalStill of Clive Owen in The InternationalStill of Clive Owen in The InternationalStill of Clive Owen and Naomi Watts in The International

Plot
An Interpol agent attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution's role in an international arms dealing ring.

Release Year: 2009

Rating: 6.5/10 (44,798 voted)

Critic's Score: 52/100

Director: Tom Tykwer

Stars: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Storyline
In The International, Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman's investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to New York and to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as the bank will stop at nothing - even murder - to continue financing terror and war.

Cast:
Clive Owen - Louis Salinger
Naomi Watts - Eleanor Whitman
Armin Mueller-Stahl - Wilhelm Wexler
Ulrich Thomsen - Jonas Skarssen
Brían F. O'Byrne - The Consultant
Michel Voletti - Viktor Haas
Patrick Baladi - Martin White
Jay Villiers - Francis Ehames
Fabrice Scott - Nicholai Yeshinski
Haluk Bilginer - Ahmet Sunay
Luca Barbareschi - Umberto Calvini (as Luca Giorgio Barbareschi)
Alessandro Fabrizi - Inspector Alberto Cerutti
Felix Solis - Detective Iggy Ornelas
Jack McGee - Detective Bernie Ward
Nilaja Sun - Detective Gloria Hubbard

Taglines: They control your money. They control your government. They control your life. And everybody pays.



Details

Official Website: Sony Pictures [Germany] | Sony Pictures [Japan] |

Release Date: 13 February 2009

Filming Locations: 59th Street Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $10,702,613 (USA) (15 February 2009) (2364 Screens)

Gross: $25,450,527 (USA) (22 March 2009)



Technical Specs

Runtime:



Did You Know?

Trivia:
Originally scheduled for release in August 2008. After badly-received previews, and re-shoots to turn it into more of an action film, it was released in February 2009, during the worst banking crisis in U.S. history.

Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: In the final scene, a close-up of Salinger's eyes shows a white rectangular reflector.

Quotes:
André Clement: I am more comfortable tense.



User Review

Worth a theater ticket

Rating: 8/10

No spoilers.

I pretty much had zero expectations for this film. I'd seen an ad or two and it looked conventional at best, clumsy at worst. The previews certainly don't do it justice. It starts smart and mean and doesn't let up. Not everyone will enjoy the unrelenting mood, but I found the picture intense and the rest of the audience in the theater seemed to agree. It helps that Clive Owen is believable as the protagonist and is highly watchable. A lesser actor in the role would have made the film much less effective. Armin Mueller-Stahl also adds credibility and depth. Other supporting actors were, for the most part, strong and gritty. There was probably pressure for a female lead, so in Noami Watts's defense, this is probably part of the reason why the character feels so irrelevant.

I'm happy anytime that a slick international thriller has some brains and isn't completely predictable, so I found the picture highly entertaining, if imperfect. It it flawed? Most certainly. But if you walk into the theater without pretensions, you'll probably be as entertained as I was. And I do think a theater visit is warranted, for the photography mentioned by previous reviewers, if not for the Guggenheim scene alone. I think it's dangerous to trump up a scene too much, because it inevitably leads to disappointment. But having no idea about what was coming... suffice to say, I didn't find the directing anything other than thrilling.





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