(Pretty strong argument for speaking and understanding only one language, eh?)
CAST: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Sydney Pollack, Yvan Attal, Hugo Speer, Earl Cameron, Kyle Kusatsu, George Harris.
DIRECTOR: Sydney Pollack
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and interpreters who look more like supermodels - straight ahead…
Anyone who follows this blog knows I’m simply mad about Alfred Hitchcock. Our boy Hitch established, cemented, then refined the tropes that the suspense genre lives by. By and large his thrillers spring from one compelling formula: an ordinary person inadvertently thrust into an extraordinary situation. Films like THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS (1935), NOTORIOUS (1946), REAR WINDOW (1954), VERTIGO (1955), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), and PSYCHO (1960) vividly and brilliantly illustrated this concept.
THE INTERPRETER is a film that is very Hitchcockian, revolving around a beautiful South African/British interpreter who inadvertently overhears a conversation about an assassination plot - and finds her life endangered because of it. One thing that THE INTERPRETER does, though, that other films influenced by Hitchcock haven’t really done is tweak the “ordinary-person-in-danger” concept a little. You see, while our heroine is indeed sympathetic, she may not be completely innocent. I shall explain…
Our heroine is Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), an interpreter with the United Nations who is half South African, half British. She originally hails from the fictional South African nation of Matobo, and is one of only a handful of people at the UN who can speak and understand its language. Despite looking like this month’s cover girl for Vogue, Silvia actually lives a fairly humdrum life. She spends most evenings chilling at home, playing the flute - which is how she gets shoved, ears-first, into some serious international intrigue.
See, there’s a surprise building evacuation at the UN one day, and Silvia ends up leaving behind her flutes. This turns out to be a bad move because: (1) the evacuation pretty much lasts all day, and everyone ends up going home except (2) Silvia, who has to go back for her flutes because of a lesson she has that evening, and (3) while collecting her stuff in the interpreter listening booth overlooking the General Assembly room, Silvia hears (4) several unseen men discussing an assassination attempt on Matoban president Zuwani (George Harris) who is scheduled to visit the UN in a few days, then (5) gets spotted by them when the lights in the booth come on, leading Silvia to (6) get the fuck outta there - fast.
I hope you folks don’t think I’m being a cold bastard by pointing out that if Silvia had just brought her shit with her during the building evac, she’d probably be, uh, playing her instructor’s flute right now, instead of worrying about being stalked by assassins.
Eventually, Silvia reports what she heard to UN security, who immediately call in the Secret Service. Agents Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) show up to assess the situation - and Tobin’s assessment is that Silvia is lying. Why the fuck would she lie about something like that, she basically asks him. He basically shrugs and says, “People do.” This is our first sign that we have yet another cinematic couple that will fight like cats and dogs before they finally realize how perfect they are for each other. Jeeez.
Anyhow, turns out Tobin’s got some baggage of his own. See, his wife left him a few months ago for a dancer (wouldn’t you?) and was recently killed in a car accident. All in all, not the best year for Agent Tobin Keller. But does that mean he needs to take out his shit on Silvia. Not in the least, which is why it’s a good thing he’s partnered with the more cheerful Dot, who basically mothers the shit out of him. He needs it.
Meanwhile, the head of President Zuwani’s security team, Nils Lund (Jesper Christensen), arrives as part of the advance team to scope out the security situation. And being told that Silvia allegedly overheard an assassination plot on the Prez is not what he wanted to hear. While Lund grapples with this situation, Tobin is slowly discovering some rather disturbing things about our dear Silvia, such as: (1) she used to be part of an armed rebel group back in Matobo; (2) her brother Simon (Hugo Speer) is still living there and may be in involved in some anti-Zuwani activities; and (3) Silvia herself may have a personal grudge against Zuwani because her parents were killed by his troops.
In other words, is Silvia a victim… or a suspect? Can Tobin protect someone he can’t trust? And what happens when Silvia begins to open up to him - and he finds himself doing the same? Will their growing bond survive international politics? Is there really an assassination plot against Zuwani? If so, is it someone from within the UN? Or someone else? Someone… unexpected?
Find out for yourselves. I’m just thankful I decided against going to work for the UN as an interpreter. It’s bad enough dealing with gossip in English, let alone 50 other languages….
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Watching THE INTERPRETER is like being reminded of a film that is a lot rarer now than back in the 70’s: a thriller that has equal parts brains, heart, and action. This movie reminds me of such classics as THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975), THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974), and THE CONVERSATION (1974) - yet another film that was about an overheard conversation with deadly implications.
Director (and actor) Sydney Pollack’s presence almost assures us that we will be dealing with a movie with a certain gravity. Actors Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman in the leads are further guarantees that we’re not going to be stuck with pop-corn fluff. That’s not to say that THE INTERPRETER isn’t commercial entertainment; it most definitely is. It just cleverly combines thrills and suspense with deeper themes about loss, family, and human connection.
The emotional fulcrum that this film pivots on is the growing relationship between Tobin Keller and Silvia Broome. Both are damaged souls with baggage to spare. They dance around each other like two porcupines unsure of how to approach one another. Only by letting their guards down in little increments do they begin to move towards each other. The best example of this is the scene where Tobin questions Silvia in the empty General Assembly room. Silvia tells him about a Matoban custom involving forgiveness - the only act that can really release grief. It’s a lovely scene that forms the turning point for these two prickly characters who are more alike than they realize. Kudos to the script and director Pollack for refusing to make their bond second to the mystery plot, as a lesser director might have done to amp up the thrills.
Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are absolutely terrific in their roles. Each is assigned to play a character that is complex and multi-faceted. Each has to play a gamut of emotions and reactions ranging from fear, mistrust, tenderness, conviction, confusion, loyalty, and - ultimately - something almost approaching love. And each pulls it off beautifully. The final scene between Tobin and Silvia, where he finally tells her the name of his dead wife, is one of my favorite scenes ever. And it’s due primarily to Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman’s lovely acting.
Bottom line: THE INTERPRETER is the kind of thriller that I wish they would make more of these days: challenging, without being confusing; entertaining, without being insulting; soulful, without being false; intelligent, without being abstract. In other words, it’s a perfect combo of brains and heart.
I dedicate this review to the late Sydney Pollack, a talented director who gave us some unforgettable films. Including this one.
Well done, sir…
