Film: The International (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

Hold on. Get mentally prepared for an intellectual thriller with intensive dialogues and a slower pace of plot development that will probably be right for the patient movie audience. After all, there's going to be just one major gunfight scene shooting out within the spiral ramps of the Guggenheim Museum in New York that serves a visually appealing treat. Despite not being a sense-exploding action thriller that only entertains, "The International" delivers some interestingly scripted plot revolving around a rogue international bank.

For those who've spare time to read on...

You ought to know that "The International" is not that mediocre lousy-scripted action thriller that always seems to find its way into the silver screens one too many times that you thought it to be. No, it's not even an action thriller. In fact, it's so full of engaging dialogue that this film appears to be so focused on its plot, as if the film makers do have something to say through their story (which I believe they do).

IBBC, a top global bank, appears to be exploiting global political disputes by offering to finance not only African rebels to support them in (more like instigate) their coup within the conflict nation, and also to finance the dispute arising between the Palestinians and Israelis. Interpol agent Louis Salinger, played by Clive Owen, pursues intently together with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, played by Naomi Watts, in contempt to bring down the illegal operations that the bank is covertly staging globally underground.

This film held certain degree of realism within the plot. Since when did thrillers like such cast Interpol agents as their agents of story? (More of a trend in Hong Kong & Chinese films) The position has always been dominated by the CIA & FBI, the last I checked. Next, here comes: An Interpol agent working with a Manhattan Assistant DA? Now that's fresh, at least to me. Clive Owen delivered a nearly convincing act as dedicated agent Salinger, who did not perform too much outrageous heroism that injected certain sense of realism to seal the mouths of critics. There were moments when they did get deported away from countries under the conflict of jurisdiction, so Salinger did not run the whole show without any restrictions and consequences like in most Hollywood films.

Owning just one major gunfight scene that provided the only sole good action element in this film, a prolonged gun battle between the IBBC henchmen and Salinger in the Guggerheim Museum was nevertheless visually excellent. It owed a major portion to the location I believe, as the shoot-outs took place up and down the ramps circling the New York Museum. It wasn't played out too flamboyantly, and I thought that's probably how an actual firearm projectile exchange between two parties would actually be like. The public members served extremely well as a mise-en-scene element where their performance and appearance in this scene added heightened tension and realism. There are a tad bit more images depicting the general public taking cover for their dear lives in fear, sharing screen time with the gun wielding men. Clive Owen had a believably distressed demeanour throughout this scene, where he ducked faithfully behind parapet walls for cover and shivered in an emotional mix of fear and adrenaline while reloading his firearm. It's refreshing to witness a hero who retains his human element in him. The sound's fabulous in this scene too as the audio representation of the glass shatters and gunshots were exceptional.

This will be good for those who are buying a ticket to actually watch a properly crafted film with patience, as opposed to those who are dragging their group of friends to seek entertainment during their weekend hangouts when they have nothing planned for the night. If you find yourself belonging to the later, you might want to either catch "Taken"(reviewed previously) or get in the advanced sales line for "X-MEN Origins: Wolverine".