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An employee at the United Nations overhears a plot to asassinate an African leader. Her dissident background complicates the issue for FBI officers. | score B |
moviereview rates films from A (unmissable) to E (unwatchable) |
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| Cast Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener Director Sydney Pollack Screenwriter Martin Stellman Country USA Rating / Running Time M / 109 minutes Australian Release April 2005 Official Site (c) moviereview
2005
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
This is Robert Ludlum territory, a thrilling story of old-fashioned political intrigue given a new-millennium spin. The Interpreter
centres on Sylvia (Nicole Kidman), an employee of the United Nations
who overhears a plan to assassinate an unpopular African leader. She
tries to convince the FBI (Sean Penn) to take her seriously, despite a
history of activism in the leader’s country, her own country of
birth. With no other option, they come to trust one another in a race
against time. Director Sydney Pollack (The Firm)
has developed some terrific ideas into a potent drama about the
interpretation of truth and terrorism against a backdrop of trust and
vengeance. He sets a cracking pace and is matched by Kidman and Penn
who make good with their complicated roles. They’re a fine
coupling who convince as driven professionals dealing with personal
loss amid the anxiety of potential disaster. Locations are an essential
part of The Interpreter; from
a tense opening in a deserted soccer stadium to the politically charged
reality of New York’s towering UN fortress (impressively, this is
the first film to be given access to the building). Semantics lie at
the heart of The Interpreter
in which the innocent are obliged to protect the guilty. It’s no
coincidence that the story’s country and former hero should
resemble Zimbabwe and Mugabe. Compromised loyalty is a recurring theme
which brings to mind Pollack’s Flight of the Condor or All The President’s Men – similarly taut stories of conspiracy and suspense. The Interpreter feels like a hit from the moment it starts, and doesn’t disappoint.
// COLIN FRASER |