"The Interpreter"

I saw the new Sean Penn/Nicole Kidman movie this weekend, and I was not that impressed. The story was about Nicole working as a African language translator for the UN and overhearing a murder plot. It was overly complex, and by the end, I didn't really care what happened. I don't know why they felt the need to make up a fictional African country to portray. If you want to see a great film about modern African politics, skip the Interpreter and rent Hotel Rwanda. Sean and Nicole had no chemistry together. Catherine Keener is great as Sean Penn's partner, but she is underused. The one great element was the gorgeous aerial photography of Manhattan.

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I just saw this movie, and I have absolutely no idea what happened at the end. I didn't understand anything. Okay, well, almost anything. I figured this was just a ruse to get sympathy for the president, so everyone will see that terrorists are after him. But what exactly DID Sylvia hear? And who was talking/whispering? And why were they doing so? They would have no idea that Sylvia would return to that booth at night. Then they try to kill her to make it look like they were trying to shut her up? My husband didn't get it either. Yup, multiple college degrees and we are not feeling particularly intelligent at the moment!

With all those questions you presented, it just made me more interested in seeing the movie.

I also want to check out the locale and see if the UN actually let the film maker on the grounds and moreso in the Conference Room. I remember Hitchkock was very upset when they said no to North By Norwest.

Joe

SPOILER.....




I finally saw this film, and really enjoyed it. Realtor gal, Silvia did hear someone plotting to kill the president, but she did not know who. The president and his security chief actually plotted the assasination attempt themselves. The prez thought he could gain credibility, and avoid prosecution that way. They hired a guy who thought he really was going to shoot the prez, but he didn't know that they didn't put a bullet in his gun. Thus, they could ensure that he wouldn't kill anyone. Of course, to keep anyone from finding out, they had to kill their gunmen.

I liked the story, and the chemistry between Penn and Kidman.

Antilles, I got all that. What I didn't get is the amazing coincidence that she came back for her flute and heard the "plot" being discussed. How on earth would they know to arrange it so she would happen to overhear this being discussed from her booth after hours? I mean, the rule was that everyone had to take ALL their belongings during an evacuation. How would anyone know that she would not obey that rule? Talk about your Hollywood "coincidence" !!! The part about the evacuation being a result of the machine's failure I could understand--obviously that could be "arranged"... But that "returning to get the flute" business was just too much of a stretch.

RealtorGal, I don't think she was supposed to overhear them. That mucked up their plans. If she hadn't heard it, the security chief would have still taken a fake shot at the president himself anyway. I don't think Kidman was integral to their plans at all. She made things more difficult by having higher than normal security. They didn't want people talking about a possible assasination for a week before hand. They just wanted people to talk about the actual attempt.

I saw this movie last weekend and I really enjoyed it. I guess people have different tastes.

I usually don't care for the thriller genre but I liked this one. It was smart, controlled, and wonderfully acted. What I really liked was the controlled violence. You don't see excessive blood shed, body parts flying in the air, and so on. Every scene gave just a little more information, and it kept me glued. I thought Kidman and Penn had great chemistry.

BIG SPOILER ahead-

The scene where she receives her brother's belongings was one of the best in the movie- very touching, without any melodrama. You just see her writing her brother's name in the 'notebook'- how he died. Then she writes her own name under it, but we don't see more. I wonder if her plan was to kill the president and then kill herself?

BTW I disagree with whoever thought Kidman hearing the conversation in the empty UN hall after hours was prearranged. It was just an accident and apparent accidents/coincidences do happen in life.

Vash