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Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne

Clive Owen and Naomi Watts star in Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer's action thriller concerning an ambitious Interpol agent who targets corruption at the top levels of the world's largest banking ins... read more read more...titutions. The world's most powerful banks have become hopelessly corrupt, prompting Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Owen) and Manhattan assistant district attorney Eleanor Whitman (Watts) to follow a dangerous money trail from Berlin to Milan to New York and Istanbul. But as determined as Agent Salinger and ADA Whitman are to ensure that justice is served, their targets are equally determined to ensure that war and terror continue to propagate so the powers that be can continue to profit. John Woo, Terence Chang, and Jeff Lurie executive produced the film, which was penned by emerging screenwriter Eric Warren Singer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

39% liked it

162,853 ratings

Critics

59% liked it

200 critics

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Tom Tykwer

Release Date: February 13, 2009

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DVD Release Date: June 9, 2009

Stats: 9,765 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (9,765)

  • jmanard52
    August 30, 2009
    jmanard52
    Clive Owen and Naomi Watts are two of my favorites and together they helped me enjoy this film. A good hefty dose of action and some excellent thriller type moments as suspense combine for a good smart movie.
  • cosmo313
    April 15, 2012
    cosmo313
    Tom Tykwer directs this engaging thriller about Interpol agent Louis Salinger who, along with Manhattan assistant district attorney Eleanor Whitman, invistigate an arms smuggling ring powered by one of the most powerful banks in the world. We all have ideas that there's some big... read more hands pulling the strings of the world, and I love how this film uses financial institutions as the focus, showing just how big of a role banks have in global issues, criminal or otherwise.

    Of course, since this is a thriller, the criminal side is the foucs, and that's fine with me. I like the idea of big banks being the force behind international terrorist organizations and the forces behind the destabilization of governments.

    This is a smart film, and relatively realistic and down to Earth compared to most similar films, namely the Bourne films. Sure, those have tons of style and action, but the penetic editing style makes them confusing at times, especially during the action setpieces. With this one, things are still stylish, yet more low key and downplayed. When there is action though, such as the awesome shootout at The Guggenheim, not only is the movie awesome and thrilling, but you can actually tell what's going on. If only more studios would catch on....

    Yeah, the film's plot is kinda muddled, and you really have to pay attention, but this is not for people wanting mindless action. It's brainy, engaging, and still manages to entertain. I could have used a bit more clarity, but, I do applaud the film for having a really realistic and downbeat ending.

    Clive Owen and Naomi Watts are solid in their roles as Salinger and Whitman respectively, and there's some good work from Stahl and O'Byrne as well. Some critics acused the film if not having any "human" characters, but that's because they were expecting typical genre characterizations instead of something more grounded. Usually the critics complain that characters in these movies aren't realistic, so, now that they are, they also complain?!? Geez...


    Anyways, this is a pretty decent film. I wasn't quite convinced at first, since it is rather slow and lite on slam bang thrills, but, when it does get into that territory, it doesn't disappoint. If you want a thriller that's not quite more of the same, then give this a shot.
  • fb1463751009
    March 10, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Clive Owen's one of the few actors that have caught me off guard through his performances in "Inside Man", "Children of Men", and "Sin City" and his performance in "The International" delivers, but what a horribly convoluted screenplay. "The International" suffers from a narrow, ... read moreone-dimensional plot with no heart, at all. As you can imagine, this movie is super forgettable for characters go from point A to point B with no mention of any sort of motivation. Don't get me wrong -- cinematography is cutting edge and the action set-pieces are engaging but there is absolutely no substance.
  • SirPant
    November 21, 2011
    SirPant
    Never over the top and never unrealistic, The International is a grown up sort of thriller but if your a big Bourne fan you may feel a little disappointed. Personally, I felt it was a breath of fresh air to the genres - you certainly can't go wrong when you cast Clive Owen. OK so... read more it doesn't have the original twists and turns but when you start to think that the plot is very feasible, then it gets a little scary. For what it's worth, I thought it was pretty good!
  • ironclad1609
    May 30, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Tom Tykwer's Hollywood debut starts out great. The conspiracy thriller does pull the right strings in the first 30 minutes, making the viewer as angry about this corrupt bank as Clive Owen's character, who is determined to take it down, no matter what. Things stay interesting and... read more engaging up to a really cool shoot out at the Guggenheim museum. Sadly, after that the film falls flat somehow. Things kind of dissolve into nothing in the end, offering very little of a solution or satisfaction. Of course, the film is really well made and acted. If only it had ended with a bang.
  • moonrivers
    April 7, 2011
    moonrivers
    A pretty decent conspiracy thriller with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts as globetrotting investigators eyeballing some curiously pleased-with-themselves rich CEO types. They have a fun uninterrupted shootout at a famous New York art museum as a cool action centerpiece of the film fo... read morer what seems like days! I laffed so hard!
  • ythelastman89
    February 15, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Clive Owen and Naomi Watts in a high class action movie, what else can you expect aside from satisfaction? Clive Owen continues to show off his skills with oozies and savy bank investigation skills. While this certainly does deliver on great action, most of the time is spent on t... read morehe mystery aspect. I really liked that it took its own format in terms of building suspense and the characters. It also happens to be incredibly well shot, something I somehow wasn't expecting.
  • Tomassgringo
    September 15, 2010
    Tomassgringo
    There was a good idea for a movie somewhere in this story.... but it was lost in a mire of double crosses and lack of editing. It had potential but missed.
  • TheMachinist
    August 11, 2010
    TheMachinist
    "Sometimes the hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn... I'm the one you burn."

    'The International' is a conspiracy/political thriller, inspired by an actual scandal in the banking business. I remember that the film got a lot of bad media covera... read morege, at least here in Finland, because of some at-that-time current scandals at the beginning of this latest worldwide financial depression. And this happened before the film was even released. I've since read that the release of 'The International' was re-scheduled because of bad previews. Maybe it was just a bit too topical?

    Cliwe Owen is an Interpol agent investigating on some illegal business by one of the world's biggest banks, IBBC (the International Bank of Business and Credit). During the film, Salinger (Owen) is taken to several places around the world, on his one man mission to bring some justice to the corrupt bank.

    The plot of 'The International' is quite timely but that is, in my opinion, one of the strongest factors in the movie. The script needs the complete attention of the viewer for maximum enjoyment. But there is a major fault in the movie. It feels as if Tom Tykwer, the director, doesn't know whether to choose between on making an action movie or a serious political thriller. Another disturbing thing was that the key players are (and remain) distant and lack attractivity.

    The cinematography of 'The International' is simply brilliant. There is one action scene that takes place in the Guggenheim museum in NY. It does have credibility as a top-notch adrenaline filled action sequence and is simply an enjoyment to watch. In overall, the film looks and sounds amazing. The crew really know their business.

    Cliwe Owen gives a stellar performance but I really didn't like Naomi Watts' uninspiring performance as the attorney assisting on the mission. She just doesn't fit in these kind of roles. This was a lame attempt to get out of the pigeonhole of dramatic roles. But the rest of the cast, especially Brian F. O'Byrne, were good in their roles. I found out later that he has performed in such high-class movies as 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'.

    'The International' delivers a somewhat good experience and is a nice addition to the genre of political thrillers, which lack recent successes ('Syriana' in '05 is probably the latest). It does challenge the audience with its story and comes recommended for a single viewing.
  • binky013
    July 30, 2010
    binky013
    A word of caution: Naomi Watts does appear in this movie, but seriously, she's barely there. That's not helping the cause. I'm neither here nor there on Clive Owen, and the jury is still out. Still the Guggenheim shootout is very cool, and this is an okay action flick.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards
March 6, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

The International is strewn with wild improbability, but that hardly deters from its appeal. Full Review

David Denby
February 23, 2009
David Denby, New Yorker

Killer banks may be new to the movies, but there's nothing else original in this if-it's-Tuesday-this-must-be-Istanbul thriller, with its portentous globe-hopping and racing through colorful street ba... Full Review

Ben Mankiewicz
February 17, 2009
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

A sleek conspiracy thriller from German director Tom Tykwer. Full Review

David Edelstein
February 17, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

A slow road to nowhere, less clunky than The Interpreter but bogged down by its own cynicism. Full Review

Ben Lyons
February 17, 2009
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

I was really disappointed. Full Review

Peter Rainer
February 17, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The sour taste of revenge is pretty sweet here. Full Review

Christopher Orr
February 14, 2009
Christopher Orr, New Republic

It's betwixt and between, neither smart and understated enough to be le Carre-like nor stylish and energetic enough to be Bond-Bournian. Full Review

Bob Mondello
February 13, 2009
Bob Mondello, NPR

Having made a bank their villain %u2014 a bank, mind you, not a banker %u2014 director Tom Tykwer and his screenwriters have pretty firmly captured the zeitgeist. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
February 13, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

A bad picture filled with cryptic someones going through the motions of a spy thriller. Full Review

Peter Howell
February 13, 2009
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

A film that squanders a golden opportunity to make money on the current economic meltdown. Full Review

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