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When I saw that Clive (“The Man Who Should Be Bond”) Owen and director Tom (Run Lola Run) Tykwer were teaming up for a new thriller, I was instantly sold. Never mind the fact that The International was being released in February—the time of year typically reserved for cheesy horror movies and not-so-funny comedies and other cinematic stinkers. Clive Owen and Tom Tykwer couldn’t make a bad movie, right?
Um…wrong.
Owen stars as Louis Salinger, an obsessive and sometimes insubordinate (but highly principled) Interpol agent who’s devoted his career to investigating the IBBC, an international bank that’s allegedly involved in organized crime and a variety of other shady activities. Unfortunately, he can’t prove anything, since any possible witnesses ultimately end up dead (from accidents and natural causes, of course).
When Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) connects the IBBC to a big weapons deal, the deadly race begins. But Salinger soon discovers that his only chance of getting to the IBBC is by beating them at their own game.
Though it promises loads of action and intrigue, The International actually provides little more than confusion and boredom. Not much about the plot makes any sense—from the bank’s motivation to the involvement of the Manhattan DA’s office. And even the stuff that does make sense isn’t all that interesting. Corrupt banks? Been there. Corporate-sponsored contract killers? Seen that. A business that’s using its customers’ money for shady business ventures? Have you watched CNN lately?
There’s just nothing new—or especially chilling—here. No Big-Brother bankers tracking down their customers or sending thugs to rough ‘em up a bit. Really, the only people who seem to be in any kind of real danger are other shady businessmen—and, of course, anyone who tries to stand in the way of…whatever it is that they’re doing.
But all that could have been forgiven (well…maybe) if the story had at least offered some interesting twists—or some thrilling, edge-of-your-seat action. Unfortunately, The International has neither. Even when it hints that a big twist might be coming, it eventually fizzles out. And, as for the action, it’s kept to a couple of ho-hum chase scenes and one spectacular shootout in the Guggenheim. But even the stylish (though excessively blood-spurting) Guggenheim scene drags on much too long, until it’s just not that exciting anymore.
The result is one big dull but stylish mess that will leave you wishing that you’d left your ten bucks in the hands of your friendly neighborhood bankers—no matter what they might have used it for. So if you’re looking for action, intrigue, and chilling tales of corporate corruption, I recommend checking your TV listings and watching a couple of hours of CNN instead.
