In a sentenceThe United Nations has enough paperwork without a thriller that keeps requiring further clarification
Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) and Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) are at the centre of political intrigue around the United Nations. Their relationship develops alongside a plot that also involves Dot Woods (Catherine Keener), Nils Lud (Jesper Christensen) and Philippe (Yvan Attal). Zuwanie (Earl Cameron) and Kuman-Kuman (George Harris) are among the other figures drawn into the story. Personal encounters between Silvia and Tobin alternate with political complications and sequences of suspense, as the film follows the pair through an increasingly tangled situation.
Sydney Pollack makes a composed, watchable political thriller, helped by Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. The tangled, unlikely plot keeps it from becoming as gripping or as substantial as its serious manner promises.
The Interpreter is a decent choice for a patient thriller viewer, though patience receives more exercise than it should. Sydney Pollack treats political intrigue as something worth taking seriously, and the care is welcome. He gives Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn room to hold our attention without constantly forcing the pace. At 128 minutes, however, the film asks its performances to sustain interest through too much unlikely plotting.
Nicole Kidman gives Silvia Broome the gravity the material needs, while Sean Penn’s Tobin Keller supplies a persuasive partner for the film’s more intimate business. Neither performance makes a fuss about its seriousness. We were touched by the tenderness of their quieter exchanges, where their interest in each other is allowed to matter. The relationship remains reserved, and it does not always provide enough warmth to carry the longer stretches of intrigue.
Darius Khondji’s cinematography helps considerably. The United Nations setting has a composed, imposing look, and the director understands how much authority those surroundings can lend a conversation. Jon Hutman’s production design fits that sober approach, helping to make the official business feel credible. The setting gives scenes of people talking a scale they could not have in an anonymous office, and provides something worth looking at while the explanations continue.
William Steinkamp’s editing keeps the strands manageable, but there is only so much cutting can do when each complication requires another stretch of explanation. The suspense works best when the director has a clear situation to manage. He can control a sequence without making it frantic, and there is pleasure in that confidence. The trouble comes when we stop enjoying the immediate tension and consider how much we have been asked to accept.
The screenplay, credited to Charles Randolph, Scott Frank and Steven Zaillian, wants its political concerns to carry weight. Too often, though, the accumulating plot leaves too little room to examine them. We understand that the film means to take these matters seriously without finding much to think about afterwards. A political thriller need not offer solutions, but its ideas should survive beyond the next explanation of who is involved and why.
James Newton Howard’s music supports the solemn tone, though that tone is already well supplied by the performances and the setting. A little less emphasis would have helped the film seem less pleased with its own importance. The director’s restraint with the actors is more useful, allowing the personal relationship to develop without demanding an immediate emotional response. Those passages keep the film watchable even when the larger story becomes difficult to credit.
Against the demands of the political thriller, this is capable work held back by a story that does not justify its complexity. It has the performances and enough well-managed suspense to make a modest evening’s entertainment. Expecting much political insight, or plotting that withstands close inspection, is asking too much. For admirers of Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, it is worth considering; anyone after a brisk thriller should look elsewhere.
The consensus is mixed: most critics find The Interpreter polished and capably acted, but less convincing as a political thriller than its serious manner promises. Praise centres on the performances of Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, the cinematography and the use of United Nations locations. Sydney Pollack’s controlled direction also earns approval, particularly in the suspense sequences. Even several qualified reviews find it absorbing or enjoyable despite its plotting.
Reservations cluster around implausibility, an overworked story and political ideas that remain vague or seem self-important. The leads divide opinion: Variety finds their chemistry lacking, while The AV Club singles out their relationship for praise. The spread runs from cautious approval to outright rejection, with The Guardian finding the film sluggish and short of suspense. Eye for Film likewise rejects the story as contrived and emotionally unconvincing, despite acknowledging the performances and occasional tenderness.
McCarthy finds the thriller coolly absorbing, though its plot-heavy story and lack of chemistry between the leads limit its impact. He praises the U.N. locations and Pollack’s polished direction.
Read the full review →Nathan finds the film solid, mature and finely acted, though its noble intentions sometimes make it daft. He particularly praises the bomb-on-a-bus sequence and Pollack’s controlled direction, while faulting the plot’s implausibilities.
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Read the full review →The review finds the film handsomely shot and entertaining but ultimately innocuous and predictable. It praises Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn for bringing gravitas to their roles.
Read the full review →Krizanovich finds the film an engrossing political thriller. She singles out its distinction as the first movie filmed inside United Nations headquarters.
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The ConversationFor another thriller that makes listening carefully a deeply uncomfortable occupation.
The Lives of OthersPatient surveillance, compromised loyalties and performances that make the political stakes personal.
ZA more forceful political thriller, with anger beneath its procedural detail.
Official SecretsAnother serious account of institutions, suspicion and the cost of speaking plainly.
The Secret in Their EyesFor a criminal investigation in which the unresolved feelings matter as much.
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