Fantastic action, a brilliant cast and a sharp script tightly directed, The International's thrills and excitement are matched and heightened by its uncannily apropos timing.
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02/12/09
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The International (2009)
58
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:191
Fresh:111
Rotten:80
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: The International boasts some electric action sequences and picturesque locales, but is undone by its preposterous plot.
Theatrical Release:Feb 13, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $25,450,527
Synopsis: Released in a post-globalization economy teetering on the brink of a depression, THE INTERNATIONAL admirably stays in step with its time. Screenwriter Eric Singer hangs this man-against-the-machine... [More]
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne
Director: Tom Tykwer
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Reviews for The International
traces its bloodline back to the paranoia peddlers of the 1970s
02/12/09
It's got some effective moments and aspects, but the film goes in and out of plausibility, and its elements never manage to unify into a coherent whole.
02/12/09
Top CriticOK, it doesn't tell you much about the role of banks in the current economic free-fall. But if you want to know, it's a humdinger of a stimulus package.
02/12/09
Top CriticThe International almost seems like a Monty Python spoof on spy-game thrillers in which the phrase 'secret agent' is constantly replaced by 'banker,' resulting in lines like, '...If I die, 100 other bankers take my place.'
02/12/09
Despite the script's persistent focus on the link between terrorism and big business, The International feels naggingly generic. You've seen this movie before, if perhaps not quite so stylishly directed.
02/12/09
... for all its impressive set pieces and breathless momentum, it's neither passionate nor urgent.
02/12/09
As smartly as it begins, the film nearly completely unravels around the 70-minute mark.
02/12/09
Everything about it is good-looking, tautly paced and sophisticated; what it isn't, unfortunately, is memorable.
02/12/09
...even the de rigueur international cityscapes look as intricate and detailed as a Where's Waldo tableaux (try to catch this in digital projection if you can).
02/12/09
Real life aside, The International is a compelling and suspenseful thriller that features one of the best shootouts of the decade.
02/12/09
Where Run Lola Run was like a perpetual-motion machine, The International seems to forever be stopping in its own tracks.
02/12/09
The International is a film I liked enough that I wished I liked it better.
02/12/09
It's a well-made and handsome drama centering on a powerful and corrupt European bank with ties to arms dealers.
02/12/09
Garbled at times, the movie still hums along with attractive, smooth efficiency.
02/12/09
A lot like the global economic crisis -- muddled and grim.
02/12/09
It's a mildly intriguing political puzzler, but never manages to engage the heart as well as the head or make your pulse race as it should.
02/12/09
Its premise aches with timely resonance. It’s directed with meticulous artistry. So why does it ultimately feel so empty and forgettable?
02/12/09
Swift investigations alter with elaborate set pieces in Milan and a staggering climax at the New York Guggenheim, a furious explosion of violence and excitement that ranks among the most exhilarating sequences I've seen in a long time.
02/12/09
For every burst of energy or eye-catching visual, the film doubly shoots itself in the foot with listless pacing and dreary thematics. Ultimately, it isn't worth the effort to get to the good stuff.
02/12/09
Latest News for The International
March 22, 2009:
Click for trailer and preview 
More...
February 16, 2009:
Perhaps a perverse variation of The Peter Principle comes into play, here, since Tom Twyker appears to be over his head helming a Hollywood blockbuster as opposed to a modest, art house indie.
More...
February 14, 2009:
The Naomi Watts International Interview: On sleepless nights, lactose lobotomies and almost kissing scenes
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February 12, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Friday the 13th Feels Too Familiar
This week at the movies, we've got creepy campers (Friday the 13th, starring Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker), conspicuous consumption (Confessions of a Shopaholic,... More...
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