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THE INTERNATIONALMovie Reviews
Action thriller about an ambitious Interpol agent who targets corruption at the top levels of the world's largest banking institutions. Cast:Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'ByrneDirector:Tom TykwerRelease Date:February 13, 2009DVD Release:June 9, 2009From:Sony PicturesRating:RLength:1 hr 58 min
The International played to moderate reviews. • Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "An hour after seeing it, you may not remember what 'The International' was about. But you'll certainly remember that shootout. That is something to behold." • And Carla Meyer wrote in the Sacramento Bee, "...fails to resonate even on a bank-hating level." More Reviews Below...
The International Positive Reviews (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: MODERATE(cg) "...falls short of its promise because its characters are only half-written and its plot is spotted with dull patches.... There's little Clive Owen or Naomi Watts can do..."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 02/12/09
Richard Corliss, Time: MODERATE "...moneymen are the root of all evil.... like one of those horror movies that you leave suspecting that the crazy, ingenious superkiller is waiting for you outside."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,067 words, 02/12/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...the star of the pic may well be NYC's Guggenheim Museum and Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, both of which figure in cool action chase sequences..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 176 words, 02/13/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...equal parts globe-trotting thriller and architecture porn, as perfectly crystallized by its mind-blowing central set piece: a seemingly endless shootout at the Guggenheim Museum."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 02/12/09
Bradley Jacobs, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the plot can be hard to follow, and the leads feel underwritten.... Still, action fanatics will marvel at the 14-minute shoot-out at NYC's Guggenheim Museum."(See all of Bradley Jacobs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 80 words, 02/12/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...well-made and handsome... While not as dynamic as the 'Bourne' films -- the gold standard for thrillers -- 'The International' is comfortably tense and visually stunning."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 02/13/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...heavy with platitudes... so undistinguished that the moments you remember best are those that you wish another, more original director had tackled."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 02/13/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Every bit of plot is revealed by characters delivering exposition to another... one of the chattiest action-dramas in recent memory."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 02/13/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "I enjoyed 'The International.' Clive Owen makes a semi-believable hero... As the plucky DA, Naomi Watts wisely plays up her character's legal smarts..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 02/12/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "It's got some effective moments and aspects, but the film goes in and out of plausibility, and its elements never manage to unify into a coherent whole."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 02/13/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...a procession of eyeball-glazing, head-scratching speeches and aphorisms only occasionally punctuated by the odd assassination of an Italian politician."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 02/13/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "...another movie that says you can't defeat a nefarious multitentacled multinational colossus if you stay within the system: The only hope is vigilante justice."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 207 words, 02/16/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...an action thriller with some decent action and a few thrills, but all embedded in a yarn so hopelessly tangled that even the loose threads have knots."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 02/13/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "What, might you ask, is the cause for all this cloak-and-dagger skullduggery? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to bore you."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 829 words, 02/11/09
Barrett Hooper, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "The story is smart, but it's also patience-testing at every turn, a bad sign for a thriller.... There's also a surprising lack of action - not a single car chase."(See all of Barrett Hooper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 02/12/09
KEY CITIES (19 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sleek, stylish thriller... There are worse ways to spend a day than watching Clive Owen do anything, let alone look cool in lots of attractive locations."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 563 words, 02/13/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't top-form Tykwer, but it's handsome and adamant, and now's as good a time as any for some out-of-control greedy-banker-bashing."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 02/13/09
John DeFore, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: WEAK(cg) "Tykwer's direction and his editor's cutting make this talky film an endurance test. At just 60 minutes in, it felt overlong -- and there was almost an hour to go."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 02/13/09
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: MODERATE(cg) "With no characters to develop and no deepening story to tell, the director is left to fill the screen with mayhem, which he does with a vengeance..."(See all of Tom Maurstad's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 02/13/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Owen is a compelling screen presence; he makes Salinger imperfect, in some ways doing what Daniel Craig has done with his reinterpretation of James Bond."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 02/13/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "The great merit of Eric Singer's screenplay is that he keeps the story advancing, even as the worst keeps happening.... each crisis presents the chance for a new plan."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 02/13/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...seems to forever be stopping in its own tracks. Tykwer takes coffee breaks to explain the convoluted and dicey plot... Riveting. Well, thumb-tacking, at least."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 02/13/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "Big, twisty, fundamentally empty Euro-thrillers are in Tom Tykwer's skill set, surprisingly - who knew?... a reminder that his gifts are many and prodigious."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 02/13/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Tykwer ('Run Lola Run') keeps the stranger-than-fiction premise grounded in reality, even as his spectacular 'Bourne'-influenced action scenes test the limits of believability."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 02/13/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...moves like a very expensive machine.... Everything about it is good-looking, tautly paced and sophisticated; what it isn't, unfortunately, is memorable."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 02/13/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It looks glossy, sleek and slick, like a glistening new BMW. Once behind the wheel, however, the engine is sluggish, the ride bumpy, the road blotted by too many off-ramps."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 375 words, 02/13/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Weary, too, is the script, a chatty, unengaging thing... There's a nifty shootout at the Guggenheim Museum and a lot of scenic travel, but little in it compels."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 02/13/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...raises an unanswerable question: How can we hope to defeat this global conspiracy that is trashing our cultural landmarks while it's stealing our brain cells?"(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 396 words, 02/13/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: MODERATE(cg) "It's the long, talky stretches between the bruises -- explaining a worldwide money laundering scheme -- that make Tom Tykwer's movie such a slog."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 02/12/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Though well-acted, with a bang-up shoot-out staged at New York's Guggenheim Museum, it feels like decaf compared to the caffeine jag that is the new action state-of-the-art."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 578 words, 02/13/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "An hour after seeing it, you may not remember what 'The International' was about. But you'll certainly remember that shootout. That is something to behold."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 02/13/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: MODERATE(cg) "A stylish but standard thriller centered on an international bank's malfeasance... fails to resonate even on a bank-hating level."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 433 words, 02/13/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it's bracing to see a suspense film take its time with complications and bring gravity to almost every death. But the movie too often plods..."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 02/13/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sleek, engaging example of a peculiar form of escapist entertainment, a favorite, in fact: It's a thriller that eases us away from our present worries..."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 02/13/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "What, might you ask, is the cause for all this cloak-and-dagger skullduggery? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to bore you."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 829 words, 02/11/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a decent thriller that should have been dazzling... it's too bad that 'The International' goes Hollywood when today's headlines show that fact easily trumps fiction."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 02/20/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a so-so conspiracy thriller with few thrills and no surprises that settles somewhere between the shrewdness of Michael Clayton and the incoherency of 'Quantum of Solace.' "(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 02/12/09
Barrett Hooper, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "The story is smart, but it's also patience-testing at every turn, a bad sign for a thriller.... There's also a surprising lack of action - not a single car chase."(See all of Barrett Hooper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 02/12/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: POOR "It's natural for a thriller to lead you down rabbit holes. But when one of these rabbit holes takes you to Kevin Costner via a sitcom, it's time for a rewrite."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 02/12/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...heavy with platitudes... so undistinguished that the moments you remember best are those that you wish another, more original director had tackled."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 02/13/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...the workings of the abstract plot are unfathomable, the characters are unpleasant and a couple of assassinations leave us as cold as the corpses."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 261 words, 02/13/09
David Denby, New Yorker: MODERATE "...there's a big hole in the middle of the movie: the director, Tom Tykwer, and the screenwriter, Eric Warren Singer, forgot to make their two crusaders human beings."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 02/23/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "It's got some effective moments and aspects, but the film goes in and out of plausibility, and its elements never manage to unify into a coherent whole."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 02/13/09
Sura Wood, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...consumed with big ideas as it is enthralled by great architecture... high finance conspiracy thriller is a spectacular looking film with an unsettling intensity."(See all of Sura Wood's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 02/06/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "It's got some effective moments and aspects, but the film goes in and out of plausibility, and its elements never manage to unify into a coherent whole."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 02/13/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...heavy with platitudes... so undistinguished that the moments you remember best are those that you wish another, more original director had tackled."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 02/13/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...the workings of the abstract plot are unfathomable, the characters are unpleasant and a couple of assassinations leave us as cold as the corpses."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 261 words, 02/13/09
18.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The International's reviews are separated by an average 18.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The International (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The International's reviews cover 88.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,831 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 540 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The International Coverage, Volume & Length (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The International's reviews on average broke 5.5 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The International's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The International (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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