Interpreter, The (2005)

Thrillers are a dime a dozen, companied by a long list of sub-genres like supernatural, psychological, criminal, and action thrillers. Somewhere buried amidst all these other categories lies political thrillers. In a time when news networks like CNN and MSNBC strive to provide non-stop international news 24 hours a day seven days a week, political thrillers manage to be a road less traveled. The Interpreter proves itself as an engaging example of such a film. Sydney Pollack directs it in an intelligent, insightful manner, having a firm grasp and respect for the material.

Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is an interpreter for the U.N. and a part time flute teacher. I guess it comes with living in a big city. While retrieving musical lessons she left in her bag at the U.N. one evening, she overhears a plot to kill African leader Dr. Edward Zuwanie (Earl Cameron) in a language she is fluent in between two individuals on the General Assembly floor. Of course, assigned detective Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) finds this chain of events a bit too convenient for his liking, and that in addition to her unfavorable opinion of the leader in question and her questionable past puts Silvia herself under suspicion. After a polygraph comes back inconclusive, Tobin decides it is in fact better to be safe than sorry and works towards ensuring the safety of the political leader.

 

Smarts

83%

If The Interpreter knows how to do anything, its building tensions. Threats are left unspoken, but yet are so clearly present. The camera is perhaps the film's greatest asset. One will notice that many shots start out of focus and gradually come into crisp clarity, as even the very next shot becomes a guessing game. Notice also how a suspicious figure stands far back, covered in shadow. From there, the camera will lower its focus and view the ground, watching the shoes as the volume of the footsteps increases. Much of the movie is about knowing something is going to happen, but never being able to know what exactly it is. There is a brisk scene going back and forth between a murder investigation and a rendezvous with a political figure on a bus. With the pace accelerating, the audience can perceive a countdown occurring, but to what? I can't remember the last time ignorance was so blissful and suspenseful.

Academy award winners Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are so perfectly cast here, it’s a surprise they have not worked together before. Their performances have everything. Both of them are simply engrossing just to watch them embody a new character worthy of their talents, but the two have a real, platonic chemistry. My theory is they took these roles because of the current state of the world, as Hollywood actors are no strangers to taking up causes, especially political ones. Sean Penn made his position on Iraq well known during his Oscar acceptance speech, while Kidman was a bit more restrained and expressed concern for the people involved. It’s no secret that Americans are not quite as informed on international matters as we perhaps should be. There was a news report that once involved an American soldier in Iraq and he asked where that was. Positions on the issue of the Iraqi war aside, its reassuring to see knowledgeable actors work in such a globally conscious film.

 

Popcorn

84%

There is a type of delicacy in handling the relationship between Sylvia and Tobin. Silvia is one for diplomacy, putting her faith in the U.N. to bring peace to the world. Tobin's position leaves no such room for faith and carries a handgun to be used in needing circumstances. While she has an ear for words, he has an eye for body language. Even among introduction, you know the two are as similar as cats and dogs. Neither side trusts the other, but find that cooperation is the only solution to each other's dilemmas. However, each share a story of loss that allows them to find a common ground, perhaps even manages them to understand each other just enough to move past their initial reluctance with one another.

But Silvia isn't the only one with an ear for words. In a film centered on a woman whose career is all about the art of word choices and understanding semantics, Sydney Pollack gives a refreshing breath to dialogue. While cinema is a ballpark that focuses more on showing rather than telling, the exchanges found in The Interpreter are an intellectual treat, where conversations are driven by the essence of the characters. My personal favorite involves a custom from Silvia’s native country. A murderer is tied up and thrown in a body of water and left to drown. The victim's family has two choices: allow the murderer to drown, or to swim over and save the murderer. After explaining both options, Silvia brilliantly condemns the notion of vengeance, a statement of such enlightenment that I nearly got up and applauded. Though, I don't think it would have had any significance, as my sister and I were the only two in the theater.

Actions still speak louder than words though, and the audience wonders whether or not Silvia’s choices will paint a hypocritical portrait or an admirable one. From the beginning, we know she has a secret accompanied with a shady past. Like any good thriller, breadcrumbs are passed off as solutions when they are only appetizers. The running time alone hints that there must be more we don't know, yet the answer is never quite within reach. What I truly love is how I never felt I was watching something familiar or that I was being cheated by twists and turns in events. Consider a moment when Tobin and Silvia look as though they are ready to embrace each other in a moment of weakness, but the kiss never happens. Pollack almost teases the audience with such a notion, bringing it up and going 'gotcha' as though to admit such a move would needlessly complicate an already rich and multi-layered film.

 

Final

Its been a long time since such a thoughtful thriller has been released.  In a time when genocide is still ongoing and unknown by the general public, The Interpreter is an ingenious gem, bringing the audience to its knees with its calculating chills and worldly wits.  Most importantly, while The Interpreter may have a few tricks up its sleeves, it never quite pulls any punches.