The International

...which film had come through the post from my Love film list. You can check which DVDs are sent to you but I forgot all about it hoping it would be a good movie to waste a few hours. After opening up the envelope I found that it was- ‘The International’.


The International was released this year and I had not actually heard of it before I found it on Love Film. I found this quite unusual as it is an action thriller and stars ...
...film or it being in the cinema but reading the plot a few weeks ago online I thought it sounded pretty decent. After receiving bad comments in the previews the film was actually delayed on being released from August 2008 to February 2009 which was not a good sign. I had recognised many of the actors in the film from the cover. Obviously Clive Owen is pretty well known but I knew the main woman role was someone I had seen before but could not name ... more

~ They control your life ~

Last night after a long and exhausting day at work I got home to find that my flat mate was not back and wouldn’t be all night. After finding food and taking a hot shower I decided to see which film had come through the post from my Love film list. You can check which DVDs are sent to you but I forgot all about it hoping it would be a good movie to waste a few hours. After opening up the envelope I found that it was- ‘The International’.

The International was released this year and I had not actually heard of it before I found it on Love Film. I found this quite unusual as it is an action thriller and stars Clive Owen, who I quite like. I can’t remember seeing any adverts for this film or it being in the cinema but reading the plot a few weeks ago online I thought it sounded pretty decent. After receiving bad comments in the previews the film was actually delayed on being released from August 2008 to February 2009 which was not a good sign. I had recognised many of the actors in the film from the cover. Obviously Clive Owen is pretty well known but I knew the main woman role was someone I had seen before but could not name her. Having two known actors I thought that it could not be too bad. As I sat down by myself to relax I hoped for a nice easy going film.

As the title sequence began I thought of the director who I did recognise at all. This doesn’t really put me off a film but having one I know would properly have given a higher expectation. I was quite interested in what it was going to be like as I do like many other films starring Clive Owen.

~ INFO ~

Director- Tom Tykwer

Tom was unrecognisable to me. He was born in Germany and has produced and directed other films as well as this. I do not recognise any of the other films which include- ‘Lola Rennt’ 1998, ‘True’ 2004 and ‘Perfume’ 2006. However, Tom has won a total of twenty six awards and has been nominated for a Bafta for his work. He is a talented man and writes, produces and also composes films and productions.

Writer- Eric Singer
Release- 27 February 2009 (UK)
Certificate- 15
Runtime- 118 Mins
Distributed- Columbia pictures

~ PLOT ~

Agent Louis Saligner works for Interpol and looses his partner while investigating powerful men who are dealing with illegal weapons trade. He is crushed by this and cannot believe he died of natural causes as he thinks there is something not quite right. This leads on to more clues of where power and money are consumed in the City. Saligner and his assistant find that one of the World’s most powerful banks is involved in this illegal weapons trading with other countries and want justice to be brought. This leads to hit men, red herrings and twists. The Bank will not let themselves be exposed.

~ Story on Banks ~

The story based on banks and money shows the issues of today’s time, money issues and banking. To be honest though some international bank using its power to control the debts of the world’s welfare doesn’t seem to be an appealing story for a film. It is quite unique and offers a new idea but it just didn’t do it for me. The current banking scandals is shown in the film in a grim light and being in a recession it does relate to today’s current affairs. It plays on ideas on modern fears.

~ CAST ~

Clive Owen – Louis Salinger

Louis is an obsessive work alcoholic and has had a hard life in the past. He seems to be determined in his work and very good at it. Even though he seems to like being on his own he dedicated himself to his job. He is intelligent and finds clues that no one else does. You see his ups and downs during the film as he is at his best and then hits rock bottom after being involved in a massive gun shoot out. He does not seem completely stable maybe being through too much from the job. He works well with others but prefers to do his own work after his partner dies.

Clive Owen fitted this role perfectly. He is an attractive man but not a pretty boy. He provides character and stern elements to the story. He plays serious roles very well and does not fail in this. I have been a fan of his for a while and love ‘King Arthur’ and ‘Children of Men’. He seems to adapt to any character and work well with anyone. He is a very well known actor and has worked in many successful films. His acting his superb in this.

Naomi Watts – Eleanor Whitman

A Manhattan assistant district attorney who works alongside Louis. She ahs an opposite life to him and lives in a big house with her husband and child. She also shares passion for her work and always seems to be out and about and not spending time with her family. Even when she is at home she is still working on paper work. Eleanor is also very intelligent and is dedicated to her job. Her boss gives her a hard time and says she must crack this case or it’s over for her. She is the perfect fir for this independent, sassy role.

Naomi is a British-Australian actress and has starred in a lot of well known films including ‘King Kong’ 2005 and ‘The Ring’ 2002’. This is why I recognised her face.
She has worked in both televsison and film and has won many awards for her outstanding work.

Minor Characters

Haluk Bilginer – Ahmet (Turkish high-tech system dealer)
Armin Mueller-Stahl- Wilhelm Wexler (ex-Stasi agent)
Ulrich Thomsen- Jonas Skarssen (Chairman of IBBC)
Brian F OByrne – Consultant (IBBC)
Patrick Baladi- Martin White (Lawyer to IBBC)
Jack McGee- Detective Bernie Ward

~ OPINIONS ~

The international is based on a story by Eric Singer. It was produced in Germany and has many German links including German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl. I thought it was not a bad film but not an excellent one either. To be honest I am not sure whether it was because I was knackered and just wanted a simple film to watch or not, but I just couldn’t get into it. It included a lot of information and was one of those films you had to listen to or you would miss important information. The story is quite complex. I was not sure if I was in the mood for it, so maybe this is why I didn’t enjoy is as much as I thought I was going to. The start of the film was pretty good and it looked like we were going to see good action. It was tense and intriguing but soon dies down completely.

~ ACTING and CHARACTERS ~

The thing that helped me enjoy it a little was the character form Clive Owen. He is a believable protagonist and fits his role well. He is very likeable and you feel involved in his emotions. I find him very watch able and he made the film more interesting. He brings class to the film and provides a high quality performance. His character is very likeable and you follow him interested in what will happen to him.

Naomi plays really well to, but to be honest I found her role pretty pointless. She just follows Clive about and doesn’t really help solve a lot. She is always behind him as he solves everything. This is quite a shame as she is a brilliant actress and should have been given more. She just seemed wooden and wasted; the film could have done fine without her part.

The two above seem to work together well despite the lack of excitement. Even though the character of Eleanor has a husband at home, there still seems to be a connection between her and Louis. Nothing happens between them but they share moments and she seems to care for him. She is only one he would speak to when being covered in blood and watching many die.

The supporting actors were good and seemed to fit their roles. There were no other outstanding performances and some seemed to lack emotion and enthusiasm.

~ FILMING and SCENES ~

The best scene was properly the shoot out in the Guggenheim. It was exciting, fast even though it did drag on for more than it should of. This reminded me of a scene from a Bourne film and had good action and gore. Clive performs superbly and the shoot out is very fierce and alive. The filming keeps up with the fast pace of the action and the music really helped this scene. This was a brilliant part and I thought it may lead on to a better flow. You feel worried for Louis as he is surrounded by gun men and it seems more keep turning up, but you know the protagonist can’t die thirty minutes in so he must get out somehow.

Some parts of the film reminded me of something like CSI and I thought it was really well filmed. There were a few eerie moments and some good crime solving sections. Clive seems to be the one who thinks of the theories and is determined to find out who is involved in the killing of his partner. The film is two hours long which can be daunting if it drags and has a slow pace. It did feel longer as many scenes were quite boring and could have been cut. There are many scenes with people just talking. Mainly to do with the bank or information on the weapons deal. It makes the movie dull and I did loose interest many times. If it wasn’t for the few action parts and Colin’s performance I properly who have gotten bored.

The locations and different sets were good. It was interesting to have many different places to follow the character through and some scenes were beautiful. The film stops at some of the most wonderful destinations including, Berlin, Milan, Lyon and NYC.
There are many varied filming shots showing you where they are, which makes it clear to understand.

~ NARRATIVE ~

It has an ok story line which involves many great twists and red herrings. It has a classic mystery lay out and follows the clues as you find out things the same time as our protagonist. It does include some original ideas and it was nice to see a more serious film about solving a crime rather than another cop chasing drama. Some parts did surprise me and it does successfully hide what it wants until the right moment.

I found it quite hard to watch though with all the dull, talking parts, they did not need so much of it. I tried very hard not to turn it off and thought that maybe it was just my mood but even another night I usually enjoy a good thriller film. It takes a long while to come together and arrives with some more exciting parts half way through. When you get to the half way point It is obvious that the nothing new is going to amaze you. It suffers with a lot of problems and could have been done a lot better in my opinion. It just seems as if it lacks effort or emotion.

There were some gory deaths and parts that I can see why it was certificated a 15.
The effects on the blood were good especially when a man gets shot in the neck. It is not over the top and seems to be quite realistic.

~ OVERALL ~

I wouldn’t say I hated the film or that is was painful, but it could have been a hell of a lot better. It looses interest and becomes dull and slow during many sections. I kept watching it for the few good action parts including a shoot out and an assassination. It did include some nice twists and clues which I did enjoy, but overall I would not watch it again or buy it on DVD. If you want to see it I would recommend renting it from a DVD store. It is not worth buying! It is a disappointing film. It is worth a watch but i am not recommending it as a great film.

Good Points
- Shoot out in the museum
- Assassination from snipers
- Clive Owens performance
- Music

Negative Points
- Too many slow and dull parts
- Naomi’s character is pointless
- Predictable ending
- Boring narrative

~ DVD ~

Released 5 Feb 2009

The DVD if you want to risk buying it can be found on Play.com for £4.99.

Special features-

Audio Commentary with Director Tom Twyker and writer Eric Singer.
The Autostad
The Architect of the International
Salinger G Whitman: an extra scene
The Making of the International
Shooting at the Guggenheim

~ Soundtrack ~

I quite liked the music used in the film. A few songs they used were-

• "Strange Brew"
Written by Eric Clapton, Gail Collins and Felix Pappalardi
Performed by Cream
Courtesy of Universal International Music B.V.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

• "Wir Setzen Uns Mit Traenen Nieder"
from "St. Matthew's Passion" BWV 244
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of Naxos of America

• "The International End Title"
Written by Matthew Bellamy, Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil
Produced by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil

~ EXTRAS ~

- Rotten Tomatoes rating- 58%

Thanks for reading- Blackmagicstar4- Sept 09

 

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