The Interpreter (2005, DVD)

I have liked Nicole Kidman for several years and try to see most of her movies. I have enjoyed all of her movies that I have seen and I m sure I ll see more of them in the future. I first saw a preview for her new movie, The Interpreter, a few months ago and thought it looked like it would be good. Sean Penn, another very talented actor, was also in the movie. I had the chance to go see The Interpreter on opening day and I took it.

Silvia Broome worked as an interpreter for the United Nations. One day she left something in the booth and went back after hours to get it. While in the booth, she overheard two men talking. Silvia was worried by what she heard, but she didn t tell anyone until the next day. She believed that the men she heard were planning to assassinate Edmund Zuwanie, the president of Matobo, an African country. Zuwanie was coming to the United Nations to speak. Some people believed that Zuwanie was responsible for the deaths of people in his country. Many people didn t think that Zuwanie should remain in power.

Tobin Keller and Dot Woods worked for the Secret Service protecting foreign dignitaries. They were sent to talk to Silvia about what she heard. Tobin, who was dealing with some personal problems, didn t believe Silvia at first because he sensed she was hiding something. A few questionable things from her past were discovered when Tobin checked on her background. Something else happened that showed that Silvia was in danger. Tobin was taking the possible threat seriously and the Secret Service was watching Silvia to protect her. Silvia was still hiding some things, but she did eventually share more with Tobin.

Several scenes in The Interpreter took place in different areas of the United Nations. Silvia had to sit in a booth with headphones on to translate what was going on during different sessions. She knew several languages, including a dialect that was spoken in Matobo that not many people knew. I m not sure what language Silvia was translating into English since she did know more than one. Subtitles were used a few times, but there were also some times when a different language was spoken and subtitles weren t used. Diplomatic things aren t the most interesting to me, but I wasn t bored during the movie. Only a few minutes here and there were shown of the actual work going on in the United Nations. I think enough was shared to show what Silvia did and how security was handled there without slowing the movie down and making it boring. The Interpreter is the first movie that was actually allowed to film inside the United Nations building. Filming took place inside the building on the weekends and many of the extras in the movie are actual employees of the United Nations.

The Interpreter was a serious movie that did touch on some serious issues. Once or twice a character, usually Tobin, said something that was a little funny that lightened the mood briefly. There was very little humor in the movie. Diplomatic relations between the United States and other countries was touched on. The United States didn t really like Zuwanie or his policies, but the Secret Service was going to do everything in their power to keep him safe once he came to the country. Horrible things happened in Matobo and many people believed that Zuwanie was responsible. Zuwanie had been liked by the people of Matobo when he took power, but he changed after that and resorted to violence to try to keep people in line. Many countries, including some in Africa, have trouble with violence and rebels that are unhappy with the current leadership. What was happening in Matobo and the fact that people were so upset with Zuwanie did seem realistic to me since things like that do go on around the world. I don t know that a leader like Zuwanie has ever gone to speak at the United Nations since I don t keep up with that kind of stuff.

It was early in the movie when Silvia heard the men talking. The conversation didn t make sense to her at first, but she did feel like she was in danger after she realized that she could have been seen. She only heard whispers, so she didn t know who had been talking. An investigation was launched once Silvia reported what she heard which did add some mystery to the movie. Tobin thought that it was possible that Silvia made up the threat she heard. The viewer does hear what she does, so that isn t in doubt, but why she did some other things was. There was suspense in several different scenes of the movie. I really didn t have any idea what a few characters would do in certain circumstances. The movie was a thriller, though maybe just a bit less of one than the preview made it seem like it would be. I thought this was one of the better thrillers that I have seen in a while. I figured out one or two minor things, but overall I didn t find the movie to be predictable. The pace of the movie was a bit slow in a few places, but it wasn t so bad that I got bored or was wondering when it would be over. There was some violence in a few scenes, including something that I thought was a bit shocking. The violence really wasn t extreme, but it might be to much for some people. There was some action in a few scenes, including an explosion.

Silvia and Tobin were the main characters in The Interpreter. I think that Silvia had a few more scenes than Tobin. She seemed to enjoy her work. She didn t want to answer questions after she reported what she heard. Even after she started to feel more comfortable around Tobin she dodged his questions. She did eventually share a bit more with him, but she still remained a mystery. She could have been developed more, but I don t think the movie would have worked as well if she didn t have some of her secrets. Tobin was trying to work through some personal problems. It wasn t clear exactly what he was working to deal with until later in the movie. He was good at his job and focused on his work. He didn t believe Silvia at first and he wasn t too nice to her either. As things with the investigation progressed, he started to act nicer to her. He even seemed to develop some kind of feelings for her. There did seem to be a hint of attraction between him and Silvia.

Dot, Tobin s partner, wasn t developed much at all. She was just around in different scenes, along with some other Secret Service agents and a few FBI agents. Tobin was really the only agent that was developed at all. Dot didn t take the possible threat serious at first and seemed annoyed to even be sent to the United Nations to check it out. She did seem to be good at her job. She was concerned about Tobin though. Edmund Zuwanie was talked about at different times through the movie. He was only in a few actual scenes though. None of the characters were developed very much.

I thought that Nicole Kidman did a very good job as Silvia. She did have an accent since Silvia was from a country in South Africa, but it was a subtle one. It sounded consistent to me throughout the movie. I thought she was believable in the part. She has been in some other thriller type movies before, like Dead Calm and Malice, but Silvia was different from any character I ve seen her play before. Sean Penn was very good as Tobin. He was conflicted about some things going on in his life, and that came through the performance. I think this performance was more understated than the one he gave in Mystic River. Catherine Keener didn t have as much to do as Dot. She was fine in the part. She had a bigger part in Death to Smoochy . The other acting in the movie was fine as well. Sydney Pollack, the director, played Tobin and Dot s boss in a few scenes.

CAST

Earl Cameron - Edmund Zuwanie
Catherine Keener - Dot Woods
Nicole Kidman - Silvia Broome
Sean Penn - Tobin Keller

Sydney Pollack - Director

The Interpreter was released on April 22, 2005. The movie was rated PG-13 for some violence. There was some swearing in the movie, but it wasn t anything extreme. I don t remember hearing the word that rhymes with luck. This really isn t a movie for children. They probably wouldn t be interested in the plot anyway.

I really enjoyed The Interpreter and think it is one of the better thrillers I ve seen in a while. It was a little slow in a few spots and the character development could have been a bit better, but it was still a very entertaining movie. Fans of Nicole Kidman or Sean Penn should check it out.

Related Reviews
Moulin Rouge ~ Moulin Rouge Soundtrack ~ The Others ~ Malice ~ Dead Calm ~ Birthday Girl ~ Cold Mountain ~ The Stepford Wives ~ Death to Smoochy ~ Mystic River ~