The Film
Anyone who thought Clive Owen should have gotten his license to kill as James Bond should put their case to rest after viewing The International. The plot, which tells of evil bankers (are if there any other kind in movies today), seeking to control the world, has more than a passing similarity to Bond's latest outing in Quantum of Solace. Well-dressed men in expensive suits use money and power to become richer and get more power - and likely even better suits in the process.
As an agent from a real, but still somewhat shadowy agency Owen is on the case to bring them down. Instead of MI-6 he's from Interpol, and of course without the license to kill. That doesn't stop director Tom Tykwer from throwing in an over-the-top shootout worthy of any action-thriller. This scene alone should be a game changer for the plot, and thus is completely out of place in this potboiler. Perhaps a bigger problem is that the film tries to break a few conventions, such as having the lovely Naomi Watts pop in for part of the ride in a completely non-romantic way. Ultimately the film ends up with so many clichéd archetypal characters and a few too many coincidences that detract from the otherwise gritty story. The result is a thriller that is neither taut enough nor thrilling enough.
Don't want to take this opinion to the bank? Check out Joe Lozito's review of The International.
The Picture
Thanks to its mostly picturesque locations The International is enjoyable to look at, even if the plot and story have as many problems as the real world of banking today. The 1080p 2.40:1 presentation thus captures the beauty of the exotic locations. The picture is clear from beginning to end with hardly any softness or noticeable flaws. In interior museum shots, the paintings and displays really pop - almost like you're watching a travelogue... but with guns.
The Sound
For a suspense thriller the sound isn't quite as encompassing as you'd expect through most of the film. The full surround-sound immersion only kicks in when there is an overt action sequence, as if to highlight that the film has picked up the pace. However, a few scenes deal with microphone bugs and the sound in these sequences is excellent. Overall the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is a mixed bag, almost as if the filmmakers didn't know whether to go for subtlety or bombacity, and ending up with an odd mix of both.
The Extras
The Blu-ray presentation includes some bonus material that isn't available on the DVD version, including a picture-in-picture presentation that looks at the making of the film, along with the "cinechat" option to message friends while watching the movie (a feature of dubious use at best). In addition to the digital copy for portable players and PCs, this package includes extended scenes, and a featurette on shooting at the Guggenheim.
Final Thoughts
The International seems like it should be a better film. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts play mostly believable characters throughout (although it is debatable whether Owen's character would suddenly gain the special op skills required to survive the film's oddly out-of-place main shootout). This is a thriller that lacks any significant car chases, features real detective work and has villains that are truly villainous because they could be real! But a few bad decisions by the filmmakers, and some jerky pacing make it disappointing. The extras do add a bit to the package, and the video is at least pleasant to see for the unique locations so it's probably worth a rental (certainly cheaper than a trip to Europe).
Where to Buy
Product Details
- Clive Own, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Strahl, Brian F. O'Bryne
- Director: Tom Tkywer
- Audio Languages: English and French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Number of Discs: 2
- Rating: R
- Studio: Columbia Pictures
- Release Date: June 9, 2009
- Run Time: 118 minutes
- List Price: $39.95
- Extras:
- Deleted Scenes
- "The Making of The International" Featurette
- "Shooting at the Guggenheim" Featurette
- "The Autostadt" Featurette
- "The Architecture of The International" Featurette
- Commentary with director Tom Tykwer and writer Eric Singer
- Digital Copy - a digital copy of the film to download to a PC, Mac, iPod or PSP
- Around the world with Tom Tykwer - interviews with the director on location around the world
- "The International Experience" Picture-in-Picture track with behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, storyboards and location shots
- CineChat - send onscreen messages to friends around the world while watching the movie together
- BD-Live
