Interpreter, The (2005)

3 out of 4

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen, Yvan Attal, Earl Cameron, George Harris, Hugo Speer, Curtiss I'Cook, Clyde Kusatsu

Director: Sydney Pollack

Time: 128 mins

Viewed: in home theatre

Complex political thriller involving Sylvia Broome (Kidman), an interpreter at the United Nations, who may have overheard a conversation discussing a potential assassination of the leader (Cameron) of a fictional African country. Penn and Keener are the Secret Service agents hired to investigate her claims. Highlights include much-touted use of actual UN building locations, several exciting sequences, and solid work by Kidman and, especially, Penn. A good suspenser in the Hitchcock mold.

(c) Joe Wong (16 January, 2006)