The Interpreter (2005)

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers (WGA):

Martin Stellman (story) &
Brian Ward (story) ...

Release Date:

22 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The truth needs no translation.

Plot:

Political intrigue and deception unfold inside the United Nations, where a US Secret Service agent (Penn) is assigned to investigate an interpreter (Kidman) who overhears an assassination plot.

Plot Keywords:

Hospice | Political | Freeze Frame | Political Thriller | Assassination Attempt

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nicole Kidman	...	Silvia Broome
Sean Penn	...	Tobin Keller
Catherine Keener	...	Dot Woods
Jesper Christensen	...	Nils Lud
Yvan Attal	...	Philippe
Earl Cameron	...	Dr. Edmond Zuwanie
George Harris	...	Kuman-Kuman
Michael Wright	...	Marcus
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Police Chief Lee Wu
Eric Keenleyside	...	Rory Robb
Hugo Speer	...	Simon Broome
Maz Jobrani	...	Mo
Yusuf Gatewood	...	Doug
Curtiss Cook	...	Ajene Xola (as Curtiss I'Cook)
Byron Utley	...	Jean Gamba

Also Known As:

Interprète, L' (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, some sexual content and brief strong language.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

UK | USA | France

Language:

Aboriginal | English | French | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41613) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | France:U | Denmark:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

East 9th Street & Stuyvesant Street, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Working Title Films

Trivia:

Writer David Rayfiel did some uncredited work on the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end, when Silvia is saying goodbye to Tobin, her hair alternates between being blown back and hanging down between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Simon Broome: She wouldn't tell me her husband's name. She wouldn't even write it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

Sidney Pollack Fails To Infuse Life Into Stale Storyline

After nearly seven years off the screen, Sidney Pollack returns with this drama of political intrigue. To put it mildly, this film was a complete disappointment for me. It revolves around an interpreter for the United Nations (Nicole Kidman) whose life gets a bit too complicated when she discovers an assassination plot. She tracks down the bad guys with the help of hard-ass FBI man (Sean Penn). I think Pollack is a competent filmmaker but he simply could not overcome a weak narrative. The character are very annoying too. After a while, I got tired of Penn talking about his dead wife - only Pollack knows what this silly subplot got to do with the main storyline. Kidman's performance is mediocre, mainly because her role is ill-defined. After a string of really bad movies ("The Stepford Wives" being the worst), I'm beginning to wonder if she is the kind of actress who will do anything (for money). You can see that the producers spent a lot of green (the film does look great) but this film is a waste of time. Try again Pollack.