| [BACK]
THE INTERPRETER by Tom McCurrie
After the misfires of SABRINA and RANDOM HEARTS, Sydney Pollack has decided to go back to what he does best: thrillers. And who could argue with him, especially after directing such modern-day classics as THE FIRM and THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR? So Pollack's latest thriller, THE INTERPRETER, is a return to form. But surprisingly, the strongest parts of this film aren't the thrills.
Certainly THE INTERPRETER's premise isn't very thrilling. Written by Charles Randolph, Scott Frank and Steven Zaillian, the film is about a U.N. interpreter (Nicole Kidman) who overhears an assassination plot, and the Secret Service agent (Sean Penn) who tries to stop it. This conceit was tired when Hitchcock used it in THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (both the '34 and '55 versions). There are a few suspenseful sequences - one involving a bomb on a moving bus is a highlight - but Penn and Kidman are not under the constant physical threat Robert Redford was in THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, making THE INTERPRETER feel much less tense. And the film's major twist is tipped off well in advance, making THE INTERPRETER feel much more predictable, not a good thing when your movie runs over two hours.
But if THE INTERPRETER's thrills aren't the best, the film's other pleasures make up for it. One is the story's novel setting: the United Nations. This is the first time a movie has ever been shot at U.N. Headquarters (the filmmakers could only shoot there on nights and weekends, and needed specific permission from Kofi Annan to boot), and locations ranging from the imposing General Assembly room to the eye-filling garden plaza provide a fresh backdrop that enlivens THE INTERPRETER's standard-issue plot.
However, THE INTERPRETER's greatest achievement is its rich characterization. This is something most Hollywood thrillers tend to skimp on, preferring to focus instead on ever more elaborate, and ever more ridiculous, plot twists. But THE INTERPRETER gives Penn and Kidman powerful inner obstacles to overcome, fleshing out their hero cop and damsel-in-distress stereotypes. Over the course of the story, both characters are riven with grief over the loss of loved ones. The question is, will they overcome this grief through forgiveness, or will they succumb to vengeance and doom themselves to perpetual sorrow? A fascinating moral dilemma, and one which the majority of dramas, never mind thrillers, refuse to explore. But Oscar-winners Penn and Kidman milk this dilemma for all it's worth, the pain playing out across their faces to gripping effect. Oddly enough, whether they succeed or fail in their inner struggle generates more suspense than the assassination plot itself.
Because Penn and Kidman are so effective individually, it's a shame they don't have more chemistry in THE INTERPRETER. Their on-screen pairing generates little romantic heat or sexual tension. They come across more like siblings comforting each other than potential lovers - I mean, these guys don't even kiss! This lack of passion keeps the leads at more of an emotional remove than they should be.
Another issue is the casting of Kidman as an African. Couldn't the filmmakers have cast a black actress in this role to more accurately reflect the continent's majority population? Having Kidman symbolize Africa is a bit unreal to say the least, but probably has more to do with economic realities (too few actresses, black or white, can open an 80 million dollar production) than out and out racism. Still, it would have been nice if the filmmakers had shown some guts and cast someone like HOTEL RWANDA's Sophie Okonedo as the interpreter instead. Who knows, the movie might have opened just as well anyway.
THE INTERPRETER may not offer non-stop thrills, but if you're looking for good acting, compelling characters and keen insights into the human condition, you won't be disappointed.
Responses, comments and general two-cents worth can be E-mailed to gillis662000@yahoo.com.
(Note: For all those who missed my past reviews, they're now archived on Hollywoodlitsales.com. Just click the link on the main page and it'll take you to the Inner Sanctum. Love them or Hate them at your leisure!)
A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Tom McCurrie has worked as a development executive and a story analyst. He is a screenwriter living in Los Angeles and is currently writing a novel about Spaghetti Westerns.
|
