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Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen, Yvan Attal ... see more see more... , Vladimir Bibic , Earl Cameron , Tsai Chin , Clyde Kusatsu , John Di Benedetto , Eric Keenleyside , Adrian Martinez , Kirby Mitchell , Harry O'Reilly , Byron Utley , Jim Ward , George Harris , Robert Clohessy , Ramsey Faragallah , Michael Wright , David Zayas , Hugo Speer , Pietro Gonzalez , Terry Serpico , John Knox , Maz Jobrani , Harry W. Prichett , Nelson Landrieu , Chris McKinney , Leonid Citer , David Wolos Fonteno , Lynne Deragon , Lou Ferguson , Christopher Evan Welch , Guy A. Fortt , Michael Patrick McGrath , Yusuf Gatewood , Curtiss I'Cook , Manuel Mawele , Dino Mulima , Francine Roussel , Enid Graham , Okwui Okpokwasili , Jacques Sebag , Patrick Ssenjovu , Paul De Sousa , Martha Elliott , Trevor Archer , Ricardo Walker , Bridget L. Doerksen , Ana Maria Lupo , Satish Joshi , Sophie Traub , Monty Ashton-Lewis , Pat Kiernan , Margot Staub , Ed Onipede Blunt , Diane Winter , Litto , Max Jobrani

An overheard conversation leads a woman into a dark world of deadly intrigue in this political thriller. Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is an African émigré who works as an interpreter at the United Na... read more read more...tions. One of the languages she understands is Ku, a dialect spoken in her home country of Matobo. One day, as the General Assembly auditorium is being evacuated for a routine security sweep, Broome overhears a man speaking in Ku, who makes a cryptic statement that could be interpreted as a threat against the life of Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), Matobo's controversial ruler. Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) is brought in to investigate Broome's story, and it isn't long before he's convinced that she knows more than she's willing to tell. As Keller and his partner, Dot Woods (Catherine Keener), dig deeper into Broome's story as well as her past, they discover a shocking tale of violence and corruption tied to Zuwanie's regime. The Interpreter was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also appears in a brief supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

55% liked it

77,287 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

191 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Sydney Pollack

Release Date: April 22, 2005

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DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005

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Stats: 3,298 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,298)

  • blkbomb
    August 3, 2011
    blkbomb
    Tobin Keller: I'd rather make the mistake of believing her, than the bigger one of not. 

    "The truth needs no translation"

    Despite liking both Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn(both of whom give good performances), I was left underwhelmed when The Interpreter was all said and done. Fo... read morer the most part, it was really just a dull drama with some thriller elements tossed in here and there. It never had me on the edge of my seat like it could have.

    It's not technically a horrible movie, but I really found no joy in it. Other then the leads; the film doesn't really have any redeemable qualities. It's really dialogue heavy which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. 

    There are a few really interesting scenes, but as a whole the movie never really comes together. It doesn't flow at a good pace. It's slow, slower and then slowest and then for a three minute stretch it will pick up the pace. Then it will go back to it's snail crawl. I'm okay with slow films if they have good characters, dialogue and situations. This movie has one interesting character(Kidman's, Penn's character was lifeless, although he did play him well), bad dialogue and two or three cool situations. I really wish this would have turned out different with the people involved. But I guess I can just go watch one of Penn's or Kidman's countless great movies.
  • blacksheepboy
    February 19, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    A disastrous film that tries to be more complex than it should be, each time coming up with more unnecessary details at the expense of simple concision. The obvious, predictable narrative suffers from terrible dialogue and gets lost amid contrivances, implausible situations and p... read morelot holes the size of Africa.
  • stevenecarrier
    November 4, 2010
    stevenecarrier
    "The Interpreter" is an emotional final film from Sydney Pollack. This is a classy picture that harkens back to the political thrillers of the 60s, but it's done in such a way that it actually hinders much of the plot. The plot, while fitfully absorbing, can dip into the convolut... read moreed, but thankfully, the strength of the characterizations and the accompanying performances make up for it. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn deliver fine work, in roles that give them much more to do rather than fall in love or other such cliches of the genre. "The Interpreter", overall, works fine as a film but works better when viewed as the capstone for a talented director's career.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    July 21, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    B-
  • Julie
    June 28, 2010
    Julie
    Yeah... um. Not the finest of films, but better than a sharp stick in the eye.
  • garyX
    December 3, 2009
    garyX
    An interpreter overhears a plot to assassinate an African dictator and is assigned a burnt out cop (is there any other kind?) to protect her. The Interpreter is exactly what I was expecting. A cast of actors on auto-pilot, going through the motions of political intrigue in a fact... read moreory-farmed Hollywood thriller that seems to have been regurgitated onto the multiplex conveyor belt by a script-writing machine. Penn and Kidman are suspicious at first, bond, share, have a will-they-won't-they scene, the plot twists on cue, there's an earnest race against time and a dash of dramatic irony at the end. Pure film making by numbers, the end result is a big flavourless, colourless bag of meh that I ended up wishing was a bit worse than it was. At least then it would've been more interesting.
  • lewiskendell
    October 19, 2009
    lewiskendell
    I kept waiting for The Interpreter to kick into high gear and become the thriller that the DVD case advertises, but that never really happened. It's not exactly dull, but calling it a thriller is a pretty huge stretch. There are long periods in its 2+ hours of the same conversati... read moreons being recycled over and over.

    As for the story, it's a bit wobbly. There are a few scenes inserted into the movie seemingly to make sure that the viewer knows the true antagonist long before the story properly reveals what's going on. Nicole Kidman and her pretty hair will only keep you interested for so long, more intrigue and action would have done a lot to lift The Interpreter above mediocrity.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    This is a really good thriller, one of the best in recent years. Penn and Kidman do a good job!
  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 24, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    Brilliant film i loved it perfectly acted and action packed really worth a watch
  • danperry17
    March 8, 2009
    danperry17
    A decent if predictable thriller that puts two great actors opposite each other with enjoyable results, and does have a handful of "pulse-pounding" moments. Sydney Pollack shoots New York so well, and this film is no exception. It won't blow you away but it's a solid movie in whi... read morech Penn and Kidman play interesting and layered characters. A better script would have allowed them to truly shine.

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Critic Reviews

Ken Tucker
May 12, 2006
Ken Tucker, New York Magazine

Penn is terrific in his low-key doggedness. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 28, 2005
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

I was steadily absorbed by The Interpreter, even though much of the plot didn't make a great deal of sense. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
April 23, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

While it pains me to beat up on Pollack, who, in addition to being a consistently wonderful actor, is at least attempting to make movies the old-fashioned way, it pains me more to actually sit through... Full Review

Desson Thomson
April 22, 2005
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

As a straight-ahead thriller, the movie is enjoyable and stirring much of the time. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
April 22, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

You're left with admirable, even noble, wreckage, but wreckage it is. Full Review

Peter Howell
April 22, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Rare is the movie where the performances can make up for an almost fatally flawed script. This is one of them. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
April 22, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It's hard to know what is more impressive, the artistry of The Interpreter or the sheer craft of it. Full Review

James Berardinelli
April 22, 2005
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

This is a finely balanced and crafted motion picture. Full Review

Roger Moore
April 22, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's fitting that a movie about communication should be so chatty that it talks much of the drama right out of itself. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
April 22, 2005
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

The confused script even bungles its central dramatic situation. Full Review

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The Interpreter Trivia

  • I starred in Moulin Rouge!, The Stepford Wives, and The Interpreter. Who am I?  Answer »
  • Who played the female lead role in "The Interpreter"?  Answer »
  • What movie contains the tagline: The truth doesn't need to be translated Starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn  Answer »
  • Which Actress played the lead roles in the movies The Others, Moulin Rouge & The Interpreter?  Answer »
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