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The first film to be shot on the United Nations premises, The Interpreter is a must-see political thriller, writes Ervell E. Menezes
NOT in a long while has Hollywood come up with such a winner. The Interpreter is gripping, suspenseful and thought-provoking and could well end up as the film of the year. That it is the first film to be shot on the United Nations premises is not its best-selling point. It is the attack on this world body and the small nations that set out to change an existing order but only reiterate it. And through an African-born White woman, interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), the viewer gets a ringside picture of the games politicians play after she hears of an assassination threat to African leader Edmund Zuwaine (Earl Cameron). Could this be a plant? That’s what Tobin Keller (Sean Penn), federal agent assigned to protect her, has to find out. Recently bereaved (his wife was murdered), he is not in the right frame of mind to handle the issue. Will his grief make him vulnerable and involve him romantically with his subject, an attractive, single young woman? Soon, he realises that Silvia has a few things to hide. "I’m scared and my protector does not believe me," she says, but is this a cover-up. She has lied to him before and is prepared to do so for obvious reasons. But gradually, layer by layer, Tobin probes her mind and enters the psyche of the woman, her past and some of her African beliefs. "The way to end grief is to save a life, she says and as he too is contending with grief there is a clear bond. Director Sydney Pollack first probes the minds of these two principal characters, Silvia and Tobin. Here, scriptwriters Charles Randolph, Scott Frank and Steven Zellian do an excellent job. The first half of the film is focused on these two. It is in the latter half that we have suspense with the arrival of the African leader. "The teacher will never leave this room alive," is the bit of conversation she hears and it is spoken in an African language few know. Pollack makes more than a passing appearance a la Hitchcock or Mazursky, as he has a bit part. The latter half is rife with suspense. Will the assassin(s) succeed? And who are they? There’s a devastating terrorist attack on a public bus (as stunning as the football ground massacre, earlier) and Tobin loses one of his young aides. Who is the next victim? Meanwhile, there are some caustic lines like calling the UN "layers of language signifying nothing." Or the comment on its flags "these are not nations, only companies." The UN building may be called neutral territory, but is it really so? Step by step, Pollack reveals the mystery. One is afraid even to blink lest one may miss an important bit of action or dialogue. That’s how gripping the fare is. And then by the time we get to the denouement there is a feeling of catharsis as one sees the reality all buried in a fa`E7ade known as the System. To say that Nicole Kidman is brilliant would be an understatement. She gets right under the skin of a complex character and she does it most expertly. Sean Penn is not far behind. His baby-face is probably a handicap but he’s trying hard to mask it and one feels he’s acquiring some of the mannerisms of a young Dustin Hoffman. Catherine Keener is good as the expressionless agent Dot Woods as is Yvan Attal as Philippe, a cog in the terrorist wheel. James Newton Howard’s music is supportive without being overpowering and Darius Khondji’s camerawork almost caressing but it is the story and its handling that makes it so riveting. And thought-provoking. |
