The premise of the movie is intriguing. What happens when a global corporation, in this case a bank, begins financing terrorism and genocide? Are there companies that wield so much power as to be above the laws of nations? It is a standard "big brother" scenario, one played out again and again in a multitude of movies, albeit this time with a little bit of a twist. In this case, as one executive explains to a potential client, the idea is not for the bank to amass more wealth on these transactions. The idea is for the bank to attain the "gratitude" of people in power. Controlling the debt, not the money, is the ultimate goal. So, not only does the movie play to the natural paranoia of most humans, but also to the overwhelming sense of being under the thumbs of lenders, which many Americans surely feel, especially in the current economic climate.
The back of the movie case states that The International is a "pulse-pounding thriller (that) plays a high-stakes game of suspense, intrigue and explosive action." Unfortunately, the movie never really delivers on this statement. There are moments of suspense and a few decent action sequences, but overall, there was just something missing. Owen's performance felt very wooden and devoid of emotion. There were far too many points of inconsistency and plot weaknesses. For instance, in the midst of the famous Guggenheim Museum, a fight between Agent Salinger and several operatives from the IBBC breaks out. There are bullets flying from a myriad of automatic weapons, numerous people being killed and museum patrons fleeing in panic. The fight lasts a good five or ten minutes, yet, when Agent Salinger is shown leaving the scene, the streets are empty of people and cars and a battery of police cruisers are just showing up. Another weakness centers around the reason for the involvement of the New York DA's office in the investigation. While there are certainly instances where inter-departmental cooperation takes place, this particular melding seemed a bit unrealistic.
There were several bonus features attached to the feature, including extended scenes, director's commentary and behind the scenes featurettes. I found the location featurettes, which included both the aforementioned Guggenheim and the Autostadt (the famous Volkswagen factory) very interesting and informative. Also, the extended scene did a nice job of filling in a few of the plot holes and rounding out some of the character development. All told, I did enjoy moments of the movie, but in hindsight, I think I enjoyed the bonus features more than the movie itself. As that is the case, I can only recommend that interested parties head down to your local video store and rent this film before you considering buying it.
