“The International” was hyped by some as a glimpse at what Clive Owen would have been like as James Bond, secret agent. Whoever said that must not have actually seen this stale attempt at an international espionage thriller. Wanting to be a “thinking man’s” thriller, the heroes are blandly normal people who work for Interpol and the New York District Attorney’s office. Owen’s character and his counterpart played by Naomi Watts, are constantly outwitted by bureaucrats at a multi-national bank. With protagonists standing by as people are assassinated and henchman easily get away, there is very little to root for during the first hour of this slow-building “pot boiler.” When the action finally does come, it is well-choreographed and intense, but way too late in the game to get the viewer emotionally invested. If this is what Owen as Bond would look like, I’m glad they went with the other guy.
Owen plays Louis Salinger, a Brit who works for the international law enforcement agency, Interpol. His friend and fellow agent, Tommy, is mysteriously killed after meeting with a bank executive almost willing to switch sides and expose the bank’s illegal activities. Tommy’s contact in America through the New York D.A.’s office is Eleanor Whitman (Watts), who is trying to create a case against the bank’s holdings in the U.S. “Evil” bankers are rather mundane villains in this thriller, with few worthy of further consideration. The most interesting antagonists are Wilhelm, the bank’s security officer (Armin Mueller-Stahl always adds a touch of class and gravitas to a part) and the hired hitman known only as The Consultant (Brian F. O’Byrne; “No Reservations”). No one is above switching sides, running outside the law, or being marked for death in this unwieldy story.
“The International” requires the viewer to pay close attention to the details of the plot from the very beginning. There are no extravagant chase sequences, intense action scenes, or even any building tension until an hour into the movie. The story strives to highlight the intelligence of the main characters; showing a quick and dirty way to judge a bullet’s trajectory or how to lift foot prints off a rain-soaked roof. These moments are only occasional, which is why they are so memorable. The film smartly updates the way spies operate, passing flash drives instead of suitcases when assigning jobs. Far too often it appears the heroes are on the sidelines watching things happen rather than trying to stop them. The film simply takes too long to get to something viscerally exciting. A thriller really needs some thrills to keep a viewer’s interest and the movie is not determined enough about its craft to operate as a crime procedural.
Owen plays another character in a rumbled trench coat, missing a day or two’s worth of shaving. He is gruff, insular, and keeps most of his frustration pent up. Owen’s performance, though more of the same, is at least somewhat entertaining. Watts’s character has nothing really to add to the film, simply being the token female character. None of the charm she showed in “King Kong” is displayed here, she’s simply along to play second fiddle to Owen. When there is finally some action, “The International” operates as an entirely different film. A shoot-out cleverly situated in the Guggenheim museum, preceded by a block-by-block walking “chase” are finely executed and breath life into an otherwise listless movie.
Failing to build on the momentum of the action scene mid-way through, a leap in logic is required to justify Louis’s final decision. The ending leaves the viewer without satisfactory resolution, the corporate criminals ultimately meeting an inadequate fate. TV shows like “Prison Break” or cop procedurals blend action and conspiracy better than this pointless thriller.
Rated R for some sequences of violence and language.
