"THE INTERNATIONAL" (2009) Review

   

"THE INTERNATIONAL" (2009) Review

Twelve years ago, Clive Owen and Naomi Watts starred in a political thriller about an Interpol agent and a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney’s investigation into the illegal activities of a corrupt international bank. Directed by Tom Tykwer, "THE INTERNATIONAL" was inspired by the 1991 Bank of Credit and Commerce International scandal.

Most action or mystery films usually begin with an establishment of the conflict that drives a film's narrative, along with a "call of adventure" for the protagonists. Neither seemed to be the case for "THE INTERNATIONAL". The narrative for this film began with protagonists ex-Scotland Yard officer-turned Interpol detective Louis Salinger and Eleanor Whitman, an Assistant District Attorney from Manhattan, already investigating the International Bank of Business and Credit (IBBC)for a series of financial and political crimes.

The movie actually opened with Salinger observing Thomas Schumer, a colleague of Eleanor's from the D.A. Office, meeting with a potential whistleblower from the IBBC. Following the meeting, an assassin for the IBBC murders both Schumer and the whistleblower. The latter's widow advises Eleanor to meet with an Italian arms manufacturer and prime ministerial candidate named Umberto Calvini in Milan. Both she and Louis discover the true depths of the IBBC's goals before he is eventually assassinated. The pair decide to find Calvini's assassin and turn him in order to dig up more evidence against the bank.

I would not exactly call "THE INTERNATIONAL" the best political thriller I have ever seen. One reviewer had claimed that this movie seemed more like the middle of a trilogy, instead of a stand-alone film. Quite frankly, I can see his point. The movie began with the investigation already in process and ended before law enforcement could move against the IBBC. A montage of newspaper headlines shown during the end credits revealed the bank's fate. And I found that . . . frustrating. I would have preferred if the movie had revealed how Interpol and the Manhattan's D.A. Office finally brought down the IBBC. This vague ending prevented me from harboring a higher regard for the film.

I may not have loved "THE INTERNATIONAL". But I cannot deny that I still managed to enjoy it very much. One of the film's virtues proved to be its subject - namely law enforcement's investigation into a corrupt international bank. There have been a few films that managed to enlighten me on certain subjects - Martin Scorsese's 1995 movie, "CASINO" really opened my eyes on how gambling in casinos operated; and his 2013 film, "THE WOLF OF WALL STREET", had enlightened me on the risks of stock investments. Thanks to Eric Warren Singer's screenplay, it is possible I may have discovered how many banks lure customers to become indebted to them through loans. And Singer's script managed to reveal this through one scene that featured Louis and Eleanor's interview with the Italian arms manufacturer, Umberto Calvini. My latest viewing of "THE INTERNATIONAL" also made me realized that although the story began with Louis and Eleanor already in the middle of their investigation of the IBBC, the meat of the investigation unfolded following Schumer's murder. I also found it interesting how the pair struggled to find one person who could not only provide enough information on the IBBC, but keep that person alive.

Speaking of keeping others alive, one has to remember that "THE INTERNATIONAL" is also an action film. It featured a good number of well directed action sequences - including Schumer and Calvini's murders. I found Louis' encounter with the bank's thugs rather tense. However, I believe the film's best action sequence proved to be the violent gunfight in Manhattan’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. I mean . . . my God! Not only did I find it bloody enough to rival the famous shoot-out in the 1995 movie, "HEAT"; I believe that sequence was one of the best cinematic shoot-outs in Hollywood history. What amazed me about this sequence was how it started on a minor note. Tom Tykwer did a hell of a job directing this sequence.

"THE INTERNATIONAL" also boasted some first-class performances by a solid cast. Although I was not that impressed by Interpol agent Louis Salinger's lack of restraint, I was very impressed by Clive Owen’s passionate portrayal of the relentless agent. Naomi Watts served as the film's backbone, thanks to her intelligent and subtle portrayal of Assistant D.A. Eleanor Whitman. I found Armin Mueller-Stahl’s performance as Wilhelm Wexler, an ex-Stasi agent turned troubleshooter for IBBC, rather intriguing, even if I found the character's sudden desire to help Salinger to take down the IBBC a bit unconvincing. Ulrich Thomsen also gave a subtle performance as the film's main villain, the intelligent and manipulative IBBC chaiman, Jonas Skarssen. The most interesting performance - at least for me - came from Brían F. O'Byrne as the bank's main assassin, The Consultant. "THE INTERNATIONAL" also featured some excellent performances from the likes of Jack McGhee, Felix Solis, Patrick Baladi, Jay Villiers, Luca Barbareschi, Fabrice Scott, Ian Burfield, Remy Auberjonois and especially James Rebhorn.

Despite a slight dissatisfaction with the movie’s ending, I must admit that I found "THE INTERNATIONAL" quite entertaining, thanks to an intriguing and slightly flawed screenplay and a very memorable and well shot action sequence. One can thank director Tom Twyker, screenwriter Eric Warren Singer and a talented cast led by Clive Owen and Naomi Watts.

"THE INTERNATIONAL" (2009) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from the 2009 political thriller, "THE INTERNATIONAL". Directed by Tom Tykwer, the movie starred Clive Owen and Naomi Watts:



"THE INTERNATIONAL" (2009) Photo Gallery

"KNIGHT AND DAY" (2010) Review

”KNIGHT AND DAY” (2010) Review

Once again, Tom Cruise has put himself out on a limb by appearing in a movie, recently released this summer. The movie in question turned out to be a romantic comedy thriller called ”KNIGHT AND DAY”. Co-starring Cameron Diaz, the movie was directed by James Mangold.

Surprisingly, seventy to eighty percent of ”KNIGHT AND DAY” was told from Diaz’s point-of-view. She portrayed an auto mechanic named June Havens who found herself swept into the adventures of an eccentric man claiming to be a former CIA agent named Roy Miller. Miller also claimed that he was trying to prevent a corrupt CIA colleague named Fitzgerald from finding a brilliant young inventor named Simon Feck and his new invention, a perpetual energy battery called the Zephyr, and selling both to a Spanish weapons dealer named Antonio. Unfortunately, his former director believes he is a rogue agent that has gone mentally off the grid.

I might as well be frank. ”KNIGHT AND DAY” did not strike me as an exceptional action film. The movie featured a series of minor scenes in which a drugged and semi-conscious June found herself being moved from one location to another by Miller. And since these scenes were shown from her point-of-view, I suspect this gave Mangold and screenwriter Patrick O’Neill the opportunity to move their characters around without any real detail. Personally, it seemed like a lazy way to progress the plot along. I was also confused over how Peter Sarsgaard’s character, Agent Fitzgerald, managed to arrange for other CIA agents to appear on the Wichita-Boston flight at the beginning of the movie as the entire crew and group of passengers. Nor did I understand why he bothered to keep June on that flight after Miller tried to ensure that she would miss it. Also, Mangold’s direction failed to infuse the movie with any special energy that could have made it memorable. Despite the somewhat eccentric plot, ”KNIGHT AND DAY” moved and felt like a typical action film.

But the movie also had its virtues. It featured some beautiful photography of Boston, Jamaica (which served as the Azores, off the coast of Portugal), Austria and Spain; thanks to cinematographer Phedon Papamichael. The movie also featured one hell of a plane crash, supervised by Chris Brenczewski. O’Neill wrote a solid plot that I could easily understand – something that has been lacking in a good number of action films (comedy or otherwise) recently. ”KNIGHT AND DAY” also provided some first-rate action sequences. My favorites included Miller’s fight against his former CIA colleagues aboard the Wichita-Boston flight; the gunfight on one of Boston’s highways; and Miller’s fight against a young German assassin named Danny, aboard a train bound for Salzburg, Austria. Humor proved to be another one of the movie’s virtues. Not only did cast members such as Cruise, Diaz, Paul Dano and Marc Blucas provide some excellent comic performances, O’Neill’s script provided them with plenty of material to work with. At least two scenes struck me as particularly funny – Miller’s ”with me, you survive” speech; June’s encounter with Feck and Danny, the assassin, aboard the train; and her encounter with the arms dealer, Antonio. But my favorite scene turned out to be the encounter between Miller, June and her ex-boyfriend, Rodney inside a Boston diner. I really found that scene hilarious.

There were no bad performances in ”KNIGHT AND DAY”. But I must admit that not all of them struck me as impressive. Both Viola Davis and Jordi Mollà gave solid, yet humorless performances as the CIA Director and Antonio, the arms dealer. Peter Sarsgaard, who portrayed Agent Fitzgerald, seemed amusing at times. Otherwise, he came off as distant and slightly stiff. But the movie had its share of good performances. Dale Dye and Celia Weston provided plenty of laughs as Miller’s parents, who believed that their son was dead. Paul Dano proved that he also have a talent for comedy in his goofy and funny portrayal of Feck, the brilliant young scientist that created the Zephyr battery. But of the entire supporting cast, my favorite performance came from Marc Blucas, who portrayed June’s ex-boyfriend and a Boston fireman. Thanks to his two-season stint on television’s ”BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER”, I have always been aware of the actor’s talent for off-beat humor. But Mangold’s direction and O’Neill’s script provided him with a role that truly exploited his comedic talents. Blucas portrayed Rodney not only as a compassionate and duty-bound man, but also a self-absorbed and shallow jerk. And he managed to achieve this balance with great subtlety and skill.

But what really made ”KNIGHT AND DAY” work for me were the two leads, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. They had worked together before in the 2001 movie, ”VANILLA SKY” and it was easy to see that they both had a very good screen chemistry. Once again, Cruise proved his talent for both comedy and action as the slightly eccentric Roy Miller, whose idea of keeping his new companion safe was too keep her in a drugged state, as he carted her around the eastern United States and Europe. The actor also effectively conveyed his character’s self-assured nature without allowing it to be tainted by any signs of cockiness. This would not have been the case with a younger Cruise. What I liked about Cameron Diaz’s portrayal of June Havens was that she did an excellent job of conveying her character’s progression throughout the movie. Her June started as a reserved woman just recovering from the end of a trying relationship, progressed to the confused and frightened innocent caught up in intrigue and betrayal; and finally developed into a more confident woman who was self-assured about her love for Miller and what she needed to do to keep him safe.

”KNIGHT AND DAY” is not the best movie I have seen this summer. It certainly did not knock my socks off. But thanks to James Mangold’s direction, a solid script by Patrick O’Neill and an excellent screen team in the form of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. It is not a perfect film, but it is certainly better than I had originally assumed.

"KNIGHT AND DAY" (2010) Photo Gallery

Below are photos from the 2010 action movie called "KNIGHT AND DAY". Directed by James Mangold, the movie stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz:




"KNIGHT AND DAY" (2010) Photo Gallery