"The Interpreter"

Directed by: Sydney Pollack

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener

Rated: PG-13 (for brief violence, mild adult language)

Running time: 124 minutes

Best suited for: the undemanding thriller fan

Least suited for: the coincidence-phobe

Acorn’s Rating Guide:

3 acorns

Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is a United Nations interpreter who happens to overhear a possible assassination plot against the ruthless African dictator of fictional Motobo. U.S. Secret Service agents Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dorothy Woods (Catherine Keener) are assigned to discover whether or not Broome has indeed uncovered a plot; to determine if she’s even telling the truth. Keller suspects that the Motobo-bred Broome may somehow be involved in the assassination plot. She is a woman with plenty of secrets.

On the surface "The Interpreter" has all the ingredients of a slick, taut and intelligent thriller. It’s reminiscent of those days when substance and character, not body count or computer enhancement, drove a film from beginning to end. In that regard, "The Interpreter" succeeds. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are exceptional in this film, which isn’t your typical "pretty people meet and fall in love under dire circumstances" Hollywood scenario. For much of the film, Agent Keller distrusts the reticent Broome. And even when friendship blossoms between the two, one suspects that their professional lives—and personal demons—will keep them worlds apart.

"The Interpreter" uses Broome’s relationship with Keller to play coy with the audience—playing too coy now and then. Silvia withholds information from the Feds, even though she begins to fear for her life. Okay, so the script gives her a valid, if meager, reason to do so. Still, the purpose of her deceit is, of course, to build tension.

I have a problem with films—even good films—that pile on coincidences or inconsistencies to keep a plot snaking along. "The Interpreter" has its share of coincidences—none insurmountable, mind you, although I did find myself struggling with several inconsistencies in logic and belief. Put these in the "possible but not probable" category, beginning with "The Interpreter’s" initial premise of Silvia’s being in the wrong location at just the wrong moment to overhear a murder plot.

"The Interpreter" doesn’t portray its antagonists as stupid people, yet they make a series of seemingly less-than-logical choices to keep the plot moving. They threaten Broome even when nobody believes her story and then further announce their intentions in a very public terrorist act. And yet the Secret Service, in the guise of Agent Keller, is still unsure of the plot’s legitimacy. Peeking beneath the surface, one begins to see a myriad of plot holes.

My advice? Don’t peek. Most of the above criticism (call it a critic’s curse) will ring hollow for those folks out for an evening of good entertainment. Superficially, "The Interpreter" holds up—good tension, good acting, even a cinematographer who makes Manhattan look pretty. "The Interpreter" was filmed on location in New York and inside the U.N.—a first for an American film—and the authenticity adds a nice dramatic touch.

One last thought. Is it possible for a film to be too politically correct? Too moralizing? Is it me, or is Hollywood scolding Africa for being—well—Africa? Recognition of atrocity ("Hotel Rwanda") is one thing; white America leading some noble crusade ("Tears of the Sun") is another. Some may deem the last five minutes of "The Interpreter" as being idealistically over the top. Others may see nothing more than virtue. It’s really a matter of opinion.

In a nutshell: "The Interpreter" holds up as a superficial thriller. It’s a well-paced, well-acted thriller with some nice suspense and credible characters. Delve too deeply and you begin to notice plot inconsistencies and coincidences that may begin to bug you. The choice—to delve or not to delve—is up to you.