DVD
REVIEW: THE INTERNATIONAL
6/05/09
SYNOPSIS: Interpol
agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is determined
to expose an arms dealing ring responsible for facilitating
acts of terrorism around the globe. But as his investigation
leads Salinger and his partner, Manhattan Assistant District
Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), deeper into the
secret world of greed, corruption and murder, they become
targets of a deadly conspiracy so vast, they soon
find the only people left to trust?are each other. This
pulse-pounding thriller plays a high-stakes game of
suspense, intrigue and explosive action.
FILM REVIEW: “You control
the debt, you control everything.” Remember this line if you
decide to go see this movie. It almost summarizes the whole
thing. Well, no, not really, because actually it doesn’t
matter much towards the end of the film. It is just a means
to an end. This film has a slice of really good action, a
slice of good drama, a slice of heavy suspense, a slice of
intelligent thriller, plus a slice of mystery and if you put
it all together you have a movie with an identity crisis. It
was okay, but not as good as I was hoping. It did have its
nerve racking scenes but it also had some slow ones that
will make you anxious, or even bored. I just realized after
watching this movie that Clive Owen is masterful at being
monotone with both his speech and his stare (sorry, I can be
a little slow with picking up on things). This is not
necessarily a bad thing. It could add to the dramatic effect
of the character. He plays Louis Salinger, a paranoid
Interpol agent looking for justice in all the wrong places.
It is hard to say that he made the movie worthwhile, but you
can definitely say that this movie requires a big name
playing the lead role in order to help with its success. The
co-star of the picture, Naomi Watts, plays Eleanor Whitman,
a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney. Sadly, other than
getting banged up, she doesn’t contribute a whole lot to
this film. It makes even less sense that she, a District
Attorney, would be trekking around the globe with an
Interpol agent trying to solve the case. Armin Mueller-Stahl
plays Wilhelm Wexler, one of the bank executives, and he
delivers another chilling performance as he does so well.
The story deals with a large banks involvement in organized
crime, murder, arms dealing, terrorism, and war and the
relentless determination to cover up at any cost. At one
point in the film it is brushed off as a necessary evil,
similar to how it is presented in Lord of War, the Nick Cage
flick. But Lou Salinger is just as determined to bring this
organization to justice. The investigation takes him all
around Europe and New York and the consequential
cinematography is very well done. There is a scene that
takes place in the Guggenheim Museum in New York that will
put you on the edge of your seat and slap you around a bit.
Just when you’re about to think the movie is a bore, BAM! It
is intense action, don’t blink, and watch out for stray
bullets kind of stuff. Whew! It does add points to the
movie. Unfortunately, after a scene like that, the climax
that came afterward was a little less climactic. Overall,
the story did have an interesting concept and had the right
intentions, but the delivery was weak. Regardless, Director
Tom Tykwer does show his talent because the movie is well
made and well shot, it’s just that it has its weaknesses.
Film
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
DVD: Nobel Son is presented in
a widescreen format with a 2.40:1 16X9 aspect ration,
preserving the theatrical release presentation. The
transfer looks clean .The picture is
complemented with a 5.1 Dolby digital sound in
English and French with Spanish English and French subtitles.
In terms of special
features the DVD includes some nice bonus features,
including Deleted Scenes, Director and Screenwriter
Commentary and four behind-the-scenes featurettes: “The
Making of The International,” featuring cast and crew
interviews; “Shooting at the Guggenheim,” detailing the
making of the film’s most talked about action sequence; “The
Autostadt” about filming at the famous German automotive
museum and, finally, “The Architecture of The
International,” which explores the film’s stunning use of
interiors and exteriors from around the world.
VIDEO:
2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (16x9)
AUDIO:
English , French
Spanish5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English
French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scene: One deleted scene. This is
basically a Salinger and Whitman extended scene (7:35)
“The
Making of The International” : Explores all aspects
of production from the early stages of pre-production to
shooting on location, including
featuring cast and crew interviews. (30:06)
“Shooting at the Guggenheim”:
details the making of the film’s most talked about action
sequence. (6:32)
“The
Autostadt” :
about filming at the famous German automotive museum (6:13)
“The
Architecture of The International” :explores
the film’s stunning use of interiors and exteriors from
around the world. (5:04)
Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Writer Eric Singer
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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