The Interpreter ***½ (2005, Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Earl Cameron, Yves Attal, Hugo Speer, Sydney Pollack) – Classic Movie Review 5034

Director Sydney Pollack conjures up a spirited, good old-fashioned Hitchcock-style mystery suspense thriller, with its serious elements slightly struggling against a twisty plot that is a bit predictable and cheesy. But it is all very professionally and smoothly done and very entertaining.

The unusual casting of Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn pays off nicely and they prove unexpectedly well paired. Kidman gives a very reliable turn in a tailor-made role as a United Nations interpreter who must run for her life after overhearing a plot to assassinate a hated African leader (Earl Cameron). Penn’s casting against type pays off as her federal agent protector, in despair after his wife’s death, and Catherine Keener is another plus as his brisk, no-nonsense partner.

The plot’s twists and turns are entertaining, if a shade too easily guessed – thriller fans will see the ending coming a mile off! But Pollack’s use of the United Nations building a major asset, with the movie gaining hugely from being the first ever to film inside the UN building. Even Hitchcock hadn’t been able to film there for North by Northwest in 1959 and had to film clandestinely in the street outside and re-create interiors in the studio.

It is a shame that The Interpreter’s well-intentioned, serious-minded elements tend to work against it rather than giving it substance. But the movie is enjoyable for all that. Pollack gives himself an extended cameo as Penn’s boss.

The all-important screenplay is by Charles Randolph, Scott Frank and Steve Zaillian, working on a story by Martin Stellman and Brian Ward.

It was a hit. The film’s US opening weekend put it in first place with $22.8 million, a much better result than predicted. It went on to gross $72.5 million in the US, with another $90.2 million worldwide, ($162.9 million worldwide), though it was a costly film at $80 million. In the UK it took £6,874,069.

Also in the cast are Yves Attal, Hugo Speer, Jesper Christensen, George Harris and Clyde Kusatsu.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5034

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