I'm way behind on my movies which is why I'm only now able to review The International. I wasn't sure what to expect since it received what could be the very definition of "mixed reviews". It seems that as many people liked it as hated it and my personal history has shown that, in cases like that, I end up not liking it. However, in this case, the exception to history of...of not liking...of ending up...I liked it.
The ads are trying to compare the plot to true, modern day banking scandals but this is complete fiction. First off, the bank in The International is a highly profitable institution that is extremely and, in some cases, lethally competent at what it does. Instead of swapping around piles of imaginary money like most real banks do, this bank is into things like arming third world despots in order to...well, damned if I could figure out why. It was sort of vaguely explained at one point but I didn't retain the information and it doesn't really matter anyway as the reason was never mentioned again. The bank is bad. That's all you need to know.
The movie opens in Berlin with an FBI agent taking a clandestine meeting with a bank official who wants to try to stop the illegal activities of his employer, the International Bank of Business and Credit (IBBC) while Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) observes from across the street. I can't remember the names of the FBI man but it doesn't matter since he is killed almost as soon as his meeting ends. Now, you'd think if there you were some sort of multi-national bank that didn't want to raise suspicion that you were involved in some sort of super illegal activities, you might want to avoid doing things that would confirm the suspicions of law enforcement. For example, killing FBI agents as an Interpol agent looks on. Still, I'm not a part of a professional evil organization so what the hell do I know? The IBBC was right as the German officials didn't believe it was a murder even though a mysterious dart was found in the back of the dead guy's neck. The only person who believes Salinger is Manhattan DA Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), a woman with whom he and Dead FBI Guy were working in a joint investigation of the IBBC. I would be willing to bet a million dollars that the character of Eleanor Whitman exists because it was felt that a female lead was needed since her character basically could have been written out and, about 2/3 of the way in, she pretty much goes away and lets the men handle the messy business of the third act.
One thing I love about The International is that it truly is international. We have scenes set in Berlin, New York, Luxembourg, Milan, Istanbul...hell, I'm betting if you looked in your backyard a few months back, you'd have seen a camera crew back there filming Clive Owen talking to Naomi Watts. A lot of filmmakers these days don't realize the power of filming real people in real places. That is one of the things that elevated the Bourne films out of the category of Standard Action Flick. Unfortunately, it only elevates The International up to the level of Standard Action Flick but that's good enough, I guess.
One of the best scenes is when Salinger and two NYPD detectives follow an assassin known only as The Consultant to a meeting at the Guggenheim Museum with his IBBC handler, Wilhelm Wexler (Armin Mueller-Stahl, one of your better screen villains). After The Consultant is captured by Salinger, a heavily armed hit team that apparently follows Wexler around wherever he goes tried to kill them both and a massive firefight breaks out in the Guggenheim. True story: the one time I was ever at the Guggenheim, two guys started a fist fight. I have no idea why but I do know that Guggenheim security quickly broke it up and the NYPD showed up within two minutes to take the men into custody. That was about ten years ago and things must have changed in New York since then because, in this movie, a dozen guys with high powered automatic weapons shoot up the place for about ten minutes, killing innocent people and pretty much destroying the place. Finally, the cops show up to yell, "FREEZE, NYPD," to all the dead people. Did I say this was one of the movie's best scenes. It's good because it's full of suspense and tense action. It just doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
That's the movie's main problem. It has good actors and entertaining action but the plot is completely unrealistic. Companies like the IBBC stay out of trouble by purchasing the goodwill and influence of those around them and having an army of lawyers do the rest, not by shooting at everything that moves. By the end of the movie, the IBBC has killed many of its own employees, several members of law enforcement in at least three different countries and a candidate for Prime Minister of Italy. When you rack up that kind of a body count, eventually you lose whatever sort of political power you have and legal authorities start working overtime to bring you down.
But hey, I think too much. Go see The International because lots of guns get shot, lots of stuff blows up and lots of tough guys say things like, "You think you know how to stop us. You're wrong," and, "It ends now." Just don't make my mistake and think about it too much.
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