The Interpreter

THE INTERPRETER
dir. by Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack made one of the greatest political thrillers in 1975: "Three Days of Condor." It is also, in this reviewers opinion, his finest work to date. He has done many other great films since then; "Tootsie," "Out of Africa." And also before, "They Shoot Horses Don't They," but nothing has ever quite captured the brilliance and paranoia that he was able to pull off in 1975. So, I have been very excited about "The Interpreter" because it is his return to the realm of the political thriller.

Now that I have seen it, I have reflected on it for a couple of days before writing this review. I definately liked the film. It's well made, has great acting, an intriguing story with a logical payoff. So, could it be my anticipation was just too high for this film to be as great as I wanted it to be? That has most definately happened to me in the past, and a second viewing made me better appreciate said films, but I don't think that's the problem here.

"The Interpreter" is a classic example of a "middle of the road" picture. Ron Howard is the king of these types of movies; "The Paper," "Apollo 13," "A Beautiful Mind," etc. Pollack has made a couple of these previously as well; "Sabrina" and "The Firm." This is the type of movie where on the surface nothing is inherently wrong, but for whatever reason the film just doesn't really move you in any way. It's not exactly forgettable, but it won't resonate in your mind after you've seen three or four more movies a couple of weeks later. "The Interpreter" is simply put, a movie that never strays far enough from the middle of the road to make it anything more than a decent film. It never takes any real chances; it never displays any real emotions. "The Interpreter" is a perfect film, technically speaking, but it lacks that "umph" that makes a movie great. It lacks that drive that movies like last year's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Kill Bill Vol. 2" were drowning in.

Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are well casted here, and the movie makes the right decision in never trying to hook them up because I don't see how that would logically play out in this scenario. A lot of talk has been made about the fact that this was the first film to be shot in the UN, but I don't see how a set would have given the set-up any less reality. The thriller elements are pretty redundant of much better films, for instance: "Three Days of the Condor." But the performances and tight direction make-up for the mystery's unoriginality.

So, while I do recommend this movie, I see no reason to say rush out and see it immediately. This movie would be just as good sitting in your own living room watching it on HBO one night. However, with the slim pickings that are at the theater right now, if you must go see a movie, this would not be a bad one to spend the bucks on.

FINAL GRADE - B-