Movie review
The Interpreter is a Riveting Political Thriller
Reviewed by Diana DeFazio and Heather Adams
(128 minutes)
Sydney Pollack’s new political thriller, The Interpreter, offers another opportunity for fans to catch the ever-popular Nicole Kidman, this time playing uber-intelligent and poised Silvia Broome, an African-born language interpreter for the United Nations. Broome becomes entangled in a cultural-political web of deception when she overhears a plot to assassinate Edmund Zuwanie, President of Matobo, a fictitious country in Africa. Sean Penn is cast as Tobin Keller, an FBI agent working with the foreign dignitaries’ protection unit. His job is to protect Silvia preceding Zuwanie’s visit and to guard Zuwanie when he arrives to address the U.N General Assembly. The main characters are no less scarred and complicated than the history of the war-zone that is Matobo, and the film becomes as much a story about personal healing as it is about the fate of this contested land. While the story suffers from a few obviously unlikely coincidences and implausible scenes, these flaws are ultimately forgivable and The Interpreter succeeds as a riveting political thriller.
The Interpreter does not score too high on meaning, but then again, how much meaning does one expect from the suspense genre? The Interpreter tackles too many themes at once and explores them rather superficially: violence versus diplomacy, idealists becoming corrupt once in power, genocide in Africa, and personal loss. Again, The Interpreter ends up being much more about the relationship between the characters played by Kidman and Penn than it is about the social and political issues it portends to explore. This is fine, yet leaves us a bit puzzled as to the need of the backdrop of African genocide. The film felt less like a lesson on global suffering and more like a nod to the topic of African plight. The theme adds an exotic tapestry to the film without raising awareness in a thoughtful way. There is something sinister about using real world crises as entertainment.
Having said this, the film was entertaining. It had what you’d expect from any good political thriller- an elaborate plot with unexpected twists, and several key edge-of-your-seat moments. We appreciated the sparse and understated musical score, allowing story, acting and cinematography to persuade us of imminent danger. Intrigue intensifies as the story unfolds and the relationships between contending rebel leaders and President Zuwanie become more convoluted.
The film’s greatest strength lies in a solid and convincing performance by Nicole Kidman and to a lesser extent, Sean Penn. Silvia is multi-faceted and believable as a skilled and clever linguist, political intellectual and emotionally calloused white African now living in the U.S. She navigates terrains of stubbornness and vulnerability at key moments, and delivers both with grace and believability. Penn’s acting is good, but his character suffers from a key implausibility. We blame the writers and screenplay for this, not Penn.
The screenplay was written by a trio which included Charles Randolph (Life of David Gale), Scott Frank (Flight of the Phoenix, Minority Report), and Steven Zaillian (Gangs of New York, A Civil Action), but despite these talents, it falls short. Too often the dialogue resorts to aphorisms, and even worse-- philosophical one-liners that you haven’t heard before and hope never to hear again. These statements, delivered mostly by Kidman gave us pause for thought, but once we thought about it, there wasn’t much there. (Incidentally, Kidman signed on to the film without having read any of the script.)
Kudos to cinematographer Darius Khondgi (Panic Room) for one scene in particular in which Kidman’s grief is captured in a variety of camera angles that reminds the viewer that the poised Broome still holds a girlish vulnerability in her most private moments.
Though violent, we did not think that the film presented any gratuitous graphic content. The film is a political thriller, after all, and in all honesty, part of the thrill is wondering who is going to be killed next, by whom and why.
We were impressed by the movie’s self restraint, especially during several scenes in which Kidman is under surveillance in her bedroom, which would lend themselves beautifully to cheap themes of voyeurism by a production of a lesser caliber.
Aside from the close-up of a camera (whose brand we won’t mention) and repeated reference to a coffee industry giant (whose name we won’t mention), The Interpreter is relatively free of advertising. We did wonder, however, if the entire movie was an ad for the United Nations, but we rejected this idea after some discussion. Having since learned that it was the first-ever movie to actually be filmed at the United Nations headquarters and there was considerable time spent panning the Assembly room and museum-like hallways, we now wonder if we dismissed the question too soon. You can decide for yourself.
Overall, our interpretation is that Kidman and Penn make this a worthwhile viewing, at least on DVD if not in the theater--but splurge and enjoy the popcorn and added thrill of watching this well-crafted suspense film on the big screen.
Entertainment value: 2 1/2 stars
Meaning: 1 1/2 stars
Emotional Impact: 2 1/2 stars
Lack of Gratuitous Violence or Sex: 3 stars
Lack of Advertising: 3 stars
Overall Quality: 2 1/2 stars
Overall Impact: 2 1/2 stars
out of 4 stars