The International

Genre: Thriller

Language: English

Director: Tom Tykwer (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

Cast: Clive Owen (Elizabeth: The Golden Age), Naomi Watts (King Kong), Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O’Byrne

Runtime: 118

Plot:

Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks, the International Bank of Business and Credit (IBBC). Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman's investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as the bank will stop at nothing - even murder - to continue financing terror and war.

Watched the movie on 23 Mar late night @ Genting First World Cineplex with Vanessa.

Spend 2 hours and you can visit Berlin, Milan, New York, Luxembourg, Istanbul all at one go. And guess what, after watching this, I though I was watching Bourne the 4th episode.

Imagine that whenever you thought you were able to solve the case with someone willing to witness, the someone got missing or killed. The movie was unexpectedly very conversational, many dialogues. A slight distraction may leads to not able to understand the flow of the intense action. Although certain parts of the movie surprised and amused me, but when the movie got to the 2nd half, I began to check my watch to see the time and wished the movie could just quickly end.

Clive Owen did a just pass job in this movie I felt. A pity is that the lead actress - Naomi Watts, who looked exactly like Nicole Kidman, did not really deliver much in the movie. I felt her being extra in the movie. The movie could do without her involvement.

Maybe I have expected too much before watching the movie, thus was quite disappointed after watching. Probably because such topics are sensitive and the movie may fail to capture the audiences.

ah-deng says: 1½ / 5 Credits only to the Europe and Art Museum tour.