BuzzFlash Reviews
October 4, 2005
The Interpreter (Widescreen Edition DVD)
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Sidney
Pollack is about as competent and disciplined a director as one can find,
and he doesn't disappoint in this political thriller that has the United
Nations as its backdrop.
Without disclosing the complex plot, beyond the joy of watching a sophisticated suspenseful film with a geopolitical backdrop, there's a lot to reflect upon in "The Interpreter" in terms of dealing with shattered ideals, betrayal, and lost hope. But those questions come after seeing the film, because Nicole Kidman, a interpreter at the U.N., and Sean Penn, a secret service agent, keep the movie taut with uncertainty, leaving little time to consider the political implications of the plot until after the film is over.
And Pollack carefully avoids having the relationship that develops between Kidman and Penn descend into romantic cliche. He definitely knows the value of restraint when working with two box office stars.
Given that this is a BuzzFlash premium, it should be noted that the political issues raised here aren't directly related to Bushevisim. But they do concern the corruption that often comes in the wake of revolutionary idealism and how the concept of imposing democracy is selectively applied.
However, Pollack knows that his first obligation as a director is not the politics of the film, but to keep the script one step ahead of the viewer -- which he invariably does. But just in case he doesn't succeed for you, this is one of those DVDs loaded with extras, including an alternative ending to the film.
The producers of the film want people to know that it was the first movie actually shot in the U.N. and the General Assembly room. But that's just window dressing. The real politics of this film take place far away from the U.N. -- and raise the issue of humanitarian abuses that the U.N. has thus far been unable to stop, except in some isolated cases.
We can't tell you much more than that, because "The Interpreter" is a film that you want to try and catch up with as you watch it, at which it succeeds marvelously.
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