Description

The film opens at Berlin airport; an Interpol agent meets a shady character who we later find is a whistleblower for the sinister Luxembourg based IBBC bank. Walking towards his fellow agent Louis Salinger (Owen), he is bumped by an innocuous individual, Bulgarian umbrella style. He shortly dies an unsavoury death in a pool of his own vomit in front of Salinger who on rushing to his aid, gets knocked out by a UPS truck wing mirror for his trouble....

Coming round in the same hospital where his colleague's cause of death is recorded as a heart attack, the permanently unwashed and glazed eyed Salingermore… suspects (ok, knows) different and like a dog with a bone goes after the IBBC bank. It transpires that the bank is deeply entrenched in the arms business and Lord Of War style shenanigans, for not only profit but influence and control; double dealing on both sides where it sees fit. It is totally ruthless and thinks nothing of taking out the head of the arms manufacturer (and Italian presidential candidate) that crossed them, a move they would later regret. As Salinger gets closer they have to dispense with their "consultant" (hitman) and the mother of all shoot-outs ensues in New York's Guggenheim museum, though why the consultant thought taking off his bullet proof vest in those circumstances was a good idea escaped me. Also, when Salinger and his colleague (Naomi Watts) discover that the two bullets fired in the assasination hit a post at different trajectories they fail to take into account that one took a slight detour....through the victims head!

As the other reviewers said, there is not too much new in this film, old school thriller updated for the morally bereft financial bedlam we now find ourselves in. A freedom fighter approached the IBBC bank for arms and finance, complaining the Swiss had become too expensive....the irony. Kill one corrupt banker and there are a hundred more to fill his shoes. Lots of messages, but no answers. The worst thing is that after watching this movie and if you are up with current affairs, you are unlikely to be surprised by (this portrayal of) the "system" and how it works; only saddened that it will probably always be like that and it's not only "Freedom Fighters" but governments and their agencies from around the world that are seemingly complicit in all of it.

Overall, this is a watchable, well shot and fast paced movie with some good set pieces in a variety of locations, special mention to the Istanbul finish. Owen is good as the hangdog, damaged agent though at times you really wish he would take timeout for a bath. Watts' character is slightly peripheral and not really developed, Neil from the Office holds his own as the bank attorney with just the right amount of slime; ditto his fellow suits.

Anyway, must finish here, I need to be back at my desk early in the morning...in the bank (7/10)

Cast list

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Info:

Category:

Movies > Films

Case Type:

DVD

Release Type:

Retail

Language:

English

Region:

R1

Format:

Widescreen

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

The International (2009) WS R1 Retail DVD

Part:

CD

Dimensions:

1800 x 1800 px

Size:

521 KB

Downloads:

421 (0 today)

Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

16/06/09 by omegaman7769

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