The Interpreter (Widescreen Edition) |  | Director: Sydney Pollack
Actors: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.99
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Rating:  175 reviews
Sales Rank: 17754
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Portuguese (Original Language), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 128 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: D25835D
ISBN: 1417018380
UPC: 025192583520
EAN: 9781417018383
ASIN: B00005JNQA
Theatrical Release Date: April 22, 2005
Release Date: October 4, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
U.S. Secret Service agent Tobin Keller is assigned to investigate a translator working at the United Nations who claims to have overheard an assassination plot.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 23-MAY-2006
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Director Sydney Pollack delivers megawatt star power, high gloss, and political passion to The Interpreter, his first thriller since The Firm. With Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn delivering smooth, understated performances, the film more closely recalls Pollack's 1975 Robert Redford/Faye Dunaway paranoid thriller Three Days of the Condor, trading conspiratorial politicians for potential assassination in the United Nations General Assembly (this being the first film ever granted permission to use actual U.N. locations). Kidman plays a U.N. interpreter who inadvertently overhears hints of a plot to kill the reviled, tyrannical leader of her (fictional) African homeland; Penn is the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her, or to determine her role (if any) in the assassination scenario. By distancing itself from real-life politics, The Interpreter softens its potential impact as a thriller about contemporary globalization and threats to international peace, but the Penn/Kidman personal drama (between two people who gain a deep appreciation for shared anguish, without being artificially forced into romance) adds a richly human dimension to Pollack's expert handling of the thriller elements of a complex yet easily-followed plot. Indie-film stalwart Catherine Keener shines in her supporting role as Penn's sarcastic by sympathetic Secret Service partner. --Jeff Shannon
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 175
 The Interpreter January 12, 2010
Arnita D. Brown (USA)
Escalating events begin when African-born U.N. translator Silvia Broome alleges that she has overheard a death threat against an African head of state, spoken in a rare dialect few people other than Silvia can understand. With the words "The Teacher will never leave this room alive," in an instant, Silvia's life is turned upside down as she becomes a hunted target of the killers. This is an extremely fearful movie, with a mood, tone and cascade of plot twists. A solid entertainment.
 Great for insomniacs January 2, 2010
Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)
To be fair, the script has possibilities, but it would take the pacing of Hitchcock's direction and the narrative expressiveness of Jimmy Stewart's acting to save it from becoming perhaps the new millennium's slowest film to date. Unfortunate, because in a sense all of us are "interpreters" of the actions of others, frequently tempted, moreover, to "over-interpret" by taking the law into our own hands, countering terrorism with vengeful personal righteousness that merely contributes to a terrorist mentality on an ever-widening scale. The political message is sound; the entertainment value conducive to a sound sleep.
Much better than I expected! A serious movie with a lot to say. August 19, 2009
Scott Baboyian (Washington, DC)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie is great. I really appreciated the fact that it is serious and thoughtful- not the overblown nonsense that I think the advertisements and whatnot made it out to be. There are several films that, while not direct comparisons in all ways, illuminate what I mean-- compare this film to "Shooter" or "The Siege". Those other movies are Hollywood nonsense all the way-- over-the-top, unrealistic, and cheesy. This movie, while also dealing with political intrigue, is completely realistic, at least in the way it treats the characters and their motivations. Perhaps some might argue that the individual "suspense" elements of plot are not very realistic, but the fine acting, script, and serious presentation give those elements more credibility than they might have if just considered on their own merits.
The film is measured, without a lot of dramatic music and flashy editing. It also treats the fictional political conflict, which could easily stand in for any number of real-world situations such as Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, or the Congo, very seriously and does a good job connecting human emotions with a type of conflict that most of us probably don't relate to very well here in the US.
The best thing about the movie is the acting by Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. They are both utter professionals who clearly embraced their roles. Ms. Kidman is icy and enigmatic, but somehow still allows the viewer to feel her barely submerged pain and suffering. Mr. Penn is completely convincing as a consumate professional torn up by some inner demons.
Perhaps some viewers may not find this movie particularly "entertaining." It lacks the sensationalism and flash that audiences might expect. It also features some pretty miserable characters-- I don't think there's a single laugh in the whole film. The politics it deals with is the type most Americans would rather pretend don't exist- the continued suffering and strife of impoverished post-colonial African nations. It is however, a masterfully acted, technically accomplished, and thought-provoking movie, and a really tense thriller, as well.
 great movie! August 12, 2009
Online Shopper (Colorado, USA)
love this movie! saw it on television and decided to purchase it, so I could watch it again. very believeable plot and terrific acting by Penn and Kidman. if you like intrigue and suspence, this is the movie for you!
Sidney Pollack's last film is a good thriller May 27, 2009
Dennis W. Wong
This film would be, unfortunately, director Sidney Pollack's last. Boasting a cast of Oscar winners (Kidman and Penn), and a slightly convoluted story, "The Interpreter" is also gripping entertainment. Pollack begins his story in South Africa with the killing of 2 journalists and then segues to the UN where Kidman as an Afrikanner interpreter works. As the story slowly unfolds, we find that her knowledge of a planned assasination could put her life in danger and that's where a cynical FBI agent (Penn) comes in to check up on her story. What begins as a tentative relationship between the two slowly unfolds as they become intricately involved but without actually having a consumative relationship which marred Pollack's own "3 Days of the Condor" (I could never buy the relationship between Redford and Dunaway). In this era of short attention spans, Pollack should be applauded for taking his time in developing these relationships as well as slowly involving us in their dilemna (the slight twist near the end was nice). This film is a fitting testament to the legacy of Sidney Pollack who also uses the widescreen format to excellent effect here.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 175
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