The International

No one will say that The International is the most original thriller to come along this year, or even the most plausible. But, it is well made, and has a few memorable action sequences. Of particular note is a shootout at the Guggenheim Museum that occurs half way through, and is so well done it's almost worth the ticket price alone. Fortunately, the movie itself is pretty good, and would have been even better if the screenplay by Eric Warren Singer had treated its characters as actual people, instead of caricatures designed to move the plot along as they race from one end of the movie to the other.

The lead roles are filled in by Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. They're charismatic actors, and they do what they can with their thin roles. Owen is Louis Salinger, a tough-talking Interpol agent who's most definable trait is his steely stare and three day facial stubble. Watts is his sidekick, Eleanor Whitman, who basically exists to explain Louis' maverick actions to their superiors. She doesn't have a lot to do in this movie, but at least she's able to sell the few scenes she gets to spend with Owen, and is not just standing in the background. The plot concerns them investigating the International Bank for Business and Credit, which they believe is dealing in illegal arms deals so that they can control debts in the countries where civil and border wars are brewing. The higher ups at the bank are very good at covering their dirty tracks. Anyone who gets too close, or tries to leak information to an outside source usually winds up dead.

Given the current economic situation, it's easy for audiences to accept bankers as villains. Heck, things continue the way they are now, and they may just replace Nazis as Hollywood's go-to bad guys. The movie is complex, with plenty of smart-sounding dialogue, but doesn't really make a lot of sense when you apply logical thought to it. There's always a mob of hitmen employed by the bank who pop up when needed, and the police are never around, so the characters can run about streets the world over, guns in plain sight, without a single person batting an eye. And yet, I didn't care while I was watching The International. The movie is quickly paced, has been shot well, and contains a number of action sequences that demand our attention. The director, Tom Twyker (Run, Lola, Run) doesn't give us enough time to slow down and concentrate on how ludicrous the whole thing is. We get wrapped up in the various plot developments and twists, and even though we may chuckle and shake our heads from time to time, we don't care.

One thing that I liked is that the movie seems to be trying to capture the feeling of classic paranoia thrillers like Three Days of the Condor, and for the most part, it succeeds. The influence of the villains seems to be everywhere - Tapping phones, spies and snipers watching the every move of our heroes, and even delivering death by poison just by brushing up against a person, such as in the opening scene. If they can kill people so silently, why do they need the hitmen in the first place, you may ask? I did, too. But then, I realized that the movie just wanted me to go with it. That was easy enough, given the skill with which the movie has been made. This is one time that the style over substance actually works. And yet, there is some substance. I was intrigued, and I wanted to know what was going to happen. Half out of morbid curiosity, and half out of general interest. With so many mediocre and unmemorable movies out there, even a movie that can arouse my morbid curiosity can be considered somewhat of a triumph.

The movie is better than I'm probably making it sound. Like I said, you don't have time to trouble yourself too much with the plot while you're watching it. One thing that did trouble me, however, is how distant I felt to the characters. The actors fill the roles well enough so that we're not bored, but The International never quite brings them to the level of complexity that we expect or are waiting for. The characters played by Clive Owen and Naomi Watts seem to be growing closer together during the course of the film, so much so that she is willing to put her career on the line for him. And yet, we never get a clear picture of what they mean to each other. The one character who does seem to possess a genuine personality is the one played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, who plays a man who gathers intelligence for the evil bankers. Just watch his big scene with Owen late in the film, and how conflicted he seems to be. He's one of the few in this movie who is able to create a genuine character, and not just someone designed to feed the complex plot to us.

For all its faults, I enjoyed The International for what it was. If anything, the movie proves that if Daniel Craig should ever tire of the gig, Clive Owen would make a great James Bond. He's got the ability to pull off the action stunts, he's got the menacing stare, and although he doesn't get to display it much in this film, I know he's got the cool charm. Even if he's not playing a relatable character here, he's at least believable as an action hero.

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