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An intelligence agent in a globetrotting tale of international murder and espionage... sound familiar? Clive Owen may be keen to distance himself from the murmurings that he should play James Bond (which even persist in the Daniel Craig era) but he has certainly shown over his career that he has a knack for gunplay and is at home in an action scene. The International is another film in which he plays an almost-but-not-quite Bond-alike; rather than being a secret service operative, he works for Interpol. It's a job that in theory should not involve a great degree of killing but, this being a movie, death is never far from him. For a bloke who is presumably not licenced to kill, Owen's Lou Salinger proves rather adept at it, particuarly in the film's standout action sequence set in New York's iconic Guggenheim museum. This bravura sequence, which occurs roughly two-thirds of the way through the film, should not be taken as an example of what to expect in the film (which is fairly light on actual action), but it is tremendously handled by director Tom Tykwer and would be amongst the highlights of any Bond or Bourne outing.
Some reviews have criticised The International for having little to offer outside of this excellent centrepiece sequence, but that is unfair, as it is an effectively gripping thriller for the duration. The plot regards the nefarious actions of a major European bank, which may seem prescient in this time of financial crises, but is really less realistic and believable than it may at first appear (for one thing, it revolves around bankers who are actively evil rather than just utterly incompetent). However, that does not really obstruct the enjoyment that this well-crafted and sometimes thought-provoking thriller provides with its neatly paced narrative crammed with picturesque European locations and some intriguing plot developments. Clearly the makers are trying to latch onto the post-Bourne boom in reality-based thrillers, and for the most part make a decent fist of it, only getting slightly bogged down on occasion when it detours into boardroom politics.
When the focus remains on Owen, the interest level remains high. He is an actor who can sometimes mistake blandness for suavity (he's no Cary Grant), but here he's more animated and apparently committed to the role than he sometimes seems, completely holding the attention. Unfortunately his character is never allowed a great degree of definition - we never learn much more than the fact he's an Interpol agent with a history in some way tied to the bank he's investigating. Naomi Watts is given even less to work with and is summarily dropped from the film before the conclusion, but she is good enough an actress to suggest some subtle sexual tension with Owen which is not present on the page. To the film's credit, it does not tie up everything in a nice little bow at the end, instead going for a pleasingly sombre and more authentic finale that provides satisfaction while not unrealistically solving all the world's problems.
The summary
An accomplished, engrossing thriller that perhaps isn't as revelatory about the world's banking system as it thinks but is still highly enjoyable.
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