Director Sidney Pollack returns to the silver screen with The
Interpreter, a political thriller starring Nichole Kidman and Sean Penn. Kidman
plays Silvia Broome, an interpreter at the United Nations who has her day
interrupted when she has to evacuate along with her co-workers because of a
security alert. When she returns to retrieve her bag late at night, Silvia
inadvertently overhears two men speaking on the
deserted assembly room floor. The exact words she hears one of them saying is
"It will end here. The Teacher will never leave this room alive." When the
lights in her translation office come on, exposing her to them, Silvia runs for
her life.
After a few tense encounters where Silvia may or may not have been tailed by
suspicious men, she discovers that the UN is to receive a very special visitor:
Edmond Zuwanie, the controversial tyrannical leader of an African country who is
also known as The Teacher. When Silvia reports what she had seen and heard to
the authorities, Secret Service agents Tobin Keller (Penn) and Dot Woods
(Catherine Keener) are assigned to make a threat assessment. But Agent Tobin is
suspicious of Silvia right from the start, especially since their investigation
uncovers the fact that she once lived in the same African country that Zuwanie
rules with an iron fist. Before he and Woods can even decide if the UN has a
real assassination threat on its hands, they must first determine whether or not
they can truly trust Silvia Broome.
The Interpreter is an enthralling thriller that pulls you into the story right
from the opening scene. Filled with the requisite twists and turns that still
make sense within the overall story, Pollack's sharply intense film is often
reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's best works. Nichole Kidman is totally
believable as Silvia, a woman with a dual citizenship, as well as a mysterious
past, and yet who is still sympathetic. Sean Penn gives another fine performance
as Agent Keller, a man struggling to do his job in the wake of his wife's death.
And the marvelous Catherine Keener shines here as Keller's partner Dot Woods.
Keller and Woods enjoy the same sturdy professional partnership that recalls
Benson and Stabler in Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit.
Another plus for The Interpreter is the fact that it's actually shot at the
United Nations, and Pollack makes great use of his famous location. In fact,
there's a section devoted to the United Nations on the disc's special features,
a documentary called "The Ultimate Movie Set: The United Nations", where the
challenges of filming in the General Assembly Room are outlined. Other special
features include an audio commentary by Pollack; "A Day In The Life Of Real
Interpreters" looks at the people who interpret the UN diplomats on a daily
basis. "Sydney Pollack At Work: From Concept To Cutting Room" looks at Pollack
and his thoughts on directing films. There's also an alternate ending, deleted
scenes, and "Interpreting Pan & Scan Vs. Widescreen" has Pollack explain the
difference between the two formats, and why the home viewer should always opt
for watching movies in widescreen. And so if you're looking for a classy,
intelligent thriller, give The Interpreter a try. It won't leave you lost in
translation.
--SF
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