Movie: “The International”

Director: Tom Tyker

Release Date: Feb. 13

Rating: Three stars (out of five)

“The International” is the latest film in a series of misguided attempts to cater to both the action crowd and the politically-minded crowd. From an economic standpoint, it seems that most filmgoers do not like to see action movies that are somewhat grounded in reality. Just consider the poor box office success of recent politically-minded action films like “The Kingdom” and “Body of Lies.” Many other films of the same mixed breed flopped just as badly. A key for success in the genre is realizing the difference between subtly exploring ideas and directly preaching ideas. The commentary in “The International” is anything but subtle about political matters, and that may be the first indication of a box office downfall.

Clive Owen stars as Louis Salinger, a grisly Interpol agent bent on bringing down one of the largest international banks in the world. He’s convinced that the bank is involved in illegal activities and financing arms dealings in different wars around the world. And anyone who knows too much about the bank’s illegal activities conveniently ends up dying before they can confess/testify/be rescued by the action hero. Salinger is joined by Naomi Watts as Manhattan District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, who doesn’t do much except look worried and grill her boss on the evils of bureaucracy. Together, they search for clues to bring down the bank.

The manner in which the undercover search takes place is standard in most Tom Clancy potboiler novels. There’s far too much exposition, far too much detail, and far too much traveling. This style could have resulted in a quick, page-turning novel, but as a movie there’s little time left for contemplation. There’s not much excitement when the characters go in detective mode, as we’ve seen most of this stuff before in other movies. How convenient is it that one of the leads they are tracking has a prosthetic leg with a custom made shoe? And didn’t this same thing happen in “The Fugitive”?

The film has two great scenes. The first is a shoot-out in the Guggenheim, and the second is an interrogation scene in which Salinger wrestles with an ethical conflict. The scenes on their own merit are excellent, but they don’t weave together well in the same tapestry. The movie could have gone in the direction of putting heavier emphasis either on the action or exploring the ethics of the economic system, but has trouble balancing both. Aside from these two great scenes, “The International” waters down both the action and the political message, resulting in another failed attempt to cater to two different audiences.

“The International” is rated R for some sequences of violence and language.