The Interpreter

Seen on Saturday, May 8 2005 at Sycamore Mall on the other side of town, I originally planned to go see this film then Crash, however, I got called away without being able to see Crash.

The two main actors of the film are Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, two stars I've never been able to bond with on screen, especially after having watched movies like last year's Birth, a film so dreadful I wished Kidman would cease acting all together.

Set in New York City around a woman named Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), the film centers on the United Nations and her job there as an interpreter. Late one night, she overhears a hushed conversation in the General Assembly spoken in Ku, a language she and perhaps 5 other people at the U.N. might know. The rest of the movie follows from this fantastic beginning--fantastic in that her hearing this conversation so few people would understand can barely be believed and even the authorities distrust the tale.

Pegged as a suspense thriller, the film does have a few tense moments, but overall the movie is just standard fare. Several scenes highlight prior sad events in the main characters' lives to provide background details and give a sense of character depth in the story. Sean Penn does an excellent job as the haggard cop. Nicole Kidman does a better than normal job in her role, although similar to other film roles she manages to leave you uncertain who she really happens to be, what she really believes, while her rampant iciness could chill a sunny day in Hawaii at the beach.

Overall, I enjoyed this one somewhat and am going to give it a solid decent rating.

Please feel free to comment on this review or on the movie itself at the forum thread devoted to it at this location.