The International

Director Tom Tykwer must hate when people smile. In his bland and moody thriller The International, everyone in the cast is stuck in perpetual frown mode. No one has the slightest inkling of a sense of humour and their surroundings are usually painted in unhappy shades of gray. There is nothing but awkward frustration for any and all of the characters that populate The International. Not that the heroes of the movie have much to smile about.

The story revolves around a few good guys (specifically, Naomi Watts as a well-meaning Assistant District Attorney and Clive Owen as a hardened Interpol agent) who are doing everything in their power to expose the dirty dealings of a supposedly corrupt international bank. The pair work rough hours and their potential leads keep getting murdered before passing on valuable information. On the other hand, the villains of the movie have lots to smile about, given their cushy jobs and big paycheques, but they spend the entire movie frowning as well, because being a bad guy in Tykwer's drab world means looking upset and angry on a regular basis.

The movie benefits from the presence of Watts and Owen, two of the most magnetic actors in the business. Watts is woefully underused, but she makes the most of her thankless scenes by injecting her poorly written character with considerable soul. Owen is at his best playing the dishevelled everyman (his exceptionally effective performance in Children of Men arrived courtesy of such a character) and he gives The International a much-needed jolt of energy whenever he's onscreen. But while Watts and Owen combine to bring impressive dimension to a flat movie, the screenplay is such a lifeless bore that the movie quickly crumbles under the weight of its own pretensions.

The screenplay is credited to Eric Singer, who seems to have sifted through a whole pile of serious thrillers and stolen already recycled material in order to cobble together this predictably structured movie. Tykwer's stiff direction doesn't help matters, either. Together, Singer and Tykwer have crafted a movie that is dry and forgettable, with little to hold one's attention.

The one exception to all of this stuffy, melancholic nonsense is a shockingly good shootout sequence that takes place inside New York's Guggenheim Museum. This singular sequence will undoubtedly rival the best action sequences that any of the upcoming summer blockbusters have to offer. It is simply one of the most raucous, violent, and expertly executed sequences I have seen in quite some time. But once the extreme adrenaline rush is over, the movie hits another wall, losing all momentum.

The irony of The International is that it wants to be a brainy thriller that stirs excitement through the twists of its densely knotted plot, rather than through loud action sequences, but the only thing it does well is the rollercoaster variety of thrills it so desperately wishes to avoid. The plot is dull and plodding from start to finish, never managing to so much as hint at a surprising or unexpected turn of events. There are flashes of brilliance in The International, but unfortunately, they never manifest themselves in the form of an engaging story.

In many ways, The International is the complete opposite of last year's Eagle Eye. Whereas that movie was all about showy effects and massive set pieces, this thriller is all about plot and pace. But in the end, they both suffer from the same problem, which is a lack of compelling drama. Both movies feature talented actors trying to breathe life into hackneyed characters who are treated like meaningless pawns in an emotionally vacant chess game. The result is two movies that fail to make a lasting impression.

The International marks Tykwer's first foray into the world of big-budget Hollywood filmmaking. He is best known for the stunningly original thriller Run Lola Run (a movie that looks at a single, dramatically driven event three different ways), which represents a far more inspired entry in this genre. Clearly, this kind of stuffy thriller is not a good fit for the director. In trying to be topical, The International just comes across as a contemporary take on a worn formula. If you are just looking for reassurance that the banks of the world are evil, despicable entities, then look no further than The International. But if you're looking for a solid thriller with a refreshing perspective, this disappointing movie will likely leave you feeling cold and wanting more.