The International: Review By moviegeek

The International begins powerfully and fascinatingly. Unlike many similar films, like The Interpreter, this one is more understandable and not as mindlessly confusing. There were points where I didn't know what was going on, but I suppose thats to be expected.

Clive Owen stars as an Interpol agent sent to investigate an international bank's dealings in illegal arms. Naomi Watts is his tagalong. The International begins fascinatingly. The premise is intriguing and the characters are intelligent. The movie is directed poignantly. I'm not a big fan of either of the leads, but they do well, I suppose, though not much is required of them.

The mystery and intrigue eventually lead up to a climactic shootout in a German museum. The shootout is incredibly well shot, magnificently constructed, and easily the very best part of the movie.

But what starts out so magnificently eventually falls short. After the shootout, nothing seems to fall into place anymore. The characters act out of order. The scenes feel prolonged. It becomes very confusing and jumbled. But in a complex thriller like this, I suppose you expect the complex to show up somewhere.

The movie runs just about 2 hours in length. I think they could have made a GREAT film at 20 minutes shorter. But the over-confusing jumble, odd and unsatisfying finale, and the excessive run-time cause the movie to wear out its welcome.

From intrigue and suspense at the fantastic beginning and middle, The International muddles its way to an eventually incompetent ending, even though the majority of the movie is well worth seeing!