The Interpreter Reviews

Quality in any language

I saw this at the cinema, and to be honest, I'm glad I gave what looked like a conventional thriller a chance on the big screen. Handled with enormous panache by old hand Sydney Pollack, this is big-heated Hollywood professionalism at its very best.

Admittedly, I could watch Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman make toast, but they invest their roles with genuine commitment, and the adorable Catherine Keener provides admirable support. This is an extremely old-fashioned Hitchcock-with-a-heart style movie, with gleaming cinematography, two or three masterful suspense sequences, and even an idea rattling around for good measure. It's not a classic, but either as a night out or a night it, it's one to savour for the sheer pleasure of seeing top talent giving a decent thriller the attention and compassion it deserves.

Very highly recommended.

Interpreter THIS (3.5 stars)

Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are both politically astute, liberal and upright, and there is no doubt that Penn supports the United Nations (Penn recently visited Baghdad and took out a full-page advert in the Washington Post, in which he criticised President George Bush for his war plans). Filmed in the United Nations New York city headquarters, the feature gives us more than just what Nicole Kidman calls, 'extra credibility'. With lines like, 'words are slower than bullet, but last longer', or such such -- it would be very hard to convince me that this isn't a sponsor project of the United Nations. 'Armageddon' for instance, was a sponsor project of NASA (it's true - look it up on the internet). The film crew there had complete access to the NASA facilities, and in response the script was very pro NASA (and Anti Sputnik Space Station -- NASA wanted the Sputnik brought down so Russia could concentrate on the escalating costs of the International Space Station - the Sputnik is now under the Ocean). Who knows what that the impact that such movies have on the general viewing public. Many Americans can't read, or think for themselves, and learn everything from the Movies - that's why Pearl Harbor was considered all the more a tragedy (yes, that 'Pearl Harbor is crap' is a running theme in most of my reviews).

This movie is loosely based, on Michael McCann, the U.N. security chief. He was the boss of Michael Holton of West was found dead under mysterious circumstances at the UN. Headlines all over the world called it a murder - conspiracy theories abounded. The plot revolves around a United Nations Interpreter from a fictional African country who overhears an assassination threat - and yes of course - she is seen listening and hunted - and yes of course - her reluctant protector is the rugged Sean Penn. The movie is actually rather fine; great about 1/3 the way through - and then at 2/3 begins to collapse under the weight of its own emotional baggage. Penn tries to come across as too sincere, crying his eyes out for someone he doesn't even know (like a little bitch to be honest). I could only forgive him for this display if it was intentional, to weave his way into bed with Nicole. Some too heavy acting in light scenes (Sean: crying, bitching, and moaning like a stung wife; almost presidential garbled speeches about the United Nations) and some too light acting in heavy scenes (Nicole, not breaking a sweat while the killer's car is nearly riding her scooter), means that certain scenes miss their full impact. In some ways it's almost too slow for an action film, because this slowness is not made up for with clever dialogue and intrigue (watch the Manchurian Candidate for a clever political thriller). Nicole Kidman's South African accent also needs more work - it's a choppy ride from American to Australian - and only really sounds South African when she yells. Not a bad movie though - at all; definitely worth a watch - only don't expect a political thriller of the highest caliber; expect a good ride but not a roller coaster - and try not to fall asleep during the long, long ending sequence.

Stiff and predictable...

Not even the combined talents of Penn and Kidman can breathe a wisp of life into this disappointing ‘political’ thriller, a thinly written, coldly efficient excuse to glorify the UN: ‘I believe in democracy, so I came to work here’ states Kidman in an extremely bizarre South African accent. That’s nice, Nicole.

Far from being intellectually challenging, this is a sentimental, barely competent blockbuster, filled with all the usual chases, shoot outs and assassination attempts we’ve seen a thousand times before.

It’s nice to see a mainstream flick with political aspirations, but this clunker has precious little to say; a well-handled sequence involving an exploding bus aside, it’s second-rate fare.

great movie

Thought this film was really gd both nicole and sean were really gd in it and i thougth the scipt was great and fast moving your never quite sure what side people are on it has a great end as well it's not what you expect

That's two hours I'll never get back

Completely boring film, that's slow paced and uninteresting and I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters come the end. Don't bother there's much better out there.

Great Movie But Not Believable

This is a great movie. Put it this way, when was the last time Nicole Kidman or Sean Penn picked a rubbish script. Both have an eye for scripts and this shows in The Interpreter.

The story is set in New York City with Kidman working for the UN as an interpreter. One of the languages she interprets is Koo, the language of Motobo, a made up African country that we can probably substitute for Zimbabwe.

Motobo is run by a president not dissimilar to Robert Mugabe, an unjust ruler sanctioning ethnic cleansing.

A plot to assassinate Motobo's president is overheard by Kidman and she suddenly finds herself in danger. Sean Penn comes along and rather than protecting her starts to suspect her involvement.

At the hands of Sydney Pollack it is no surprise the movie is beautifully shot with clever use of camera angles and lighting. The pacing and characterisation are perfect with Kidman and Penn working so well together.

What lets the movie down is the unrealistic nature of the storyline. It is far fetched to say the least. However, if you're after a well-made thriller, this will hit the spot. I came away very glad that I had seen the film.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Built up slowly but effectively

The Interpreter is a movie that follows Interpreter (Kidman) who works in for the UN, after hearing something she should not have her life is turned upside down. Sean Penn plays the agent assigned to protect her in what is a highly entertaining thriller packed with twists. This is a long film and not always as quick paced as I personally like but my wife loved it thoroughly, it built up slowly but effectively and kept you watching with interest. The movie has some good action and a really smart story line with clever dialogue, the acting is good enough and overall most people will enjoy the film. I will not say too much more at the risk of giving too much away. 4 Stars

Why Switch on the light?

I had read some very mixed reviews about this film - I didn't really know what to expect but you know what... I thought it was great. Acting fantastic (even if Nicoles Acent seemed a little none African) the story was intense, edge of your seat thriller with no holes in the plot that I spotted anyway (and I looked hard) - the only thing that got me is (why did she turn on the light? Anyway - I would recommend this as a great political thriller with a lot of bite and beautifuly directed by one of the greatest. A Must see.

Competent but boring!

Competent but ultimately boring thriller.

Nicole Kidman gives a technically excellent performance; all the right moves, all the right accents, but as always the emotional connection with the audience is non-existent. To enjoy a thriller, you have to care what happens to the protagonist and frankly I could have cared less about Nicole's character.

As for Sean Penn, I was unable to see past my fascination with the hairdo. The older he gets, the more he looks like Dustin Hoffman in 'Tootsie' and the bouffant with delicately greying temples caused great hilarity which rather detracted from his hangdog performance as grieving widower for a wife who left him.

The set pieces of the UN HQ and Plaza were lovely, but you can see them as a slide show on the UN website without having to sit through this film!

The Interpreter

Excellent film, well put together one of kidman's best performances to date. She even maintains a realistic africaan style accent. Well thought through and echos of some of the recent african turmoils. All round good cast & film, thought provoking well written, penn & kidman work well together. Political intrigue inside the un, great filming inside the un building as well including hte general assembly & security council. Definately worth a place on anyones rental queue.