At a time when the global financial crisis is being blamed, to a large extent, on the banking industry I suppose it's only to be expected that a bank will become the villain of a movie thriller.
Comment
02/20/09
The International (2009)
58
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:191
Fresh:111
Rotten:80
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: The International boasts some electric action sequences and picturesque locales, but is undone by its preposterous plot.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Feb 19, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $25,450,527
Synopsis: Released in a post-globalization economy teetering on the brink of a depression, THE INTERNATIONAL admirably stays in step with its time. Screenwriter Eric Singer hangs this man-against-the-machine... [More]
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne
Director: Tom Tykwer
Reviews for The International
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticA timely yet cold drama that's exquisitely produced but mechanical and off-base in intent and execution. As for the plot? 'Terrorism, brought to you by Citibank'
02/11/09
Top CriticThe tepid script doesn't quite live up to Tykwer's taut direction.
02/20/09
Top CriticAs frustrating as the story's shallowness is, this shortcoming is very nearly negated by the sheer physical pleasure of the production.
02/27/09
Top CriticThere is considerable satisfaction in seeing these tyrants of high finance live up to their image as the new villains of modern cinema, but even more satisfying are Tykwer's superbly staged action set pieces.
02/20/09
Top CriticIf he has trouble making his characters very interesting, Tykwer comes into his own in staging the action.
02/27/09
Top CriticAn international bank with dubious morals and unethical practices is at the centre of this large-scale thriller which steamrolls its way through politics, big business, organised crime and weapons acquisition
02/12/09
Top CriticDirection is superb, balancing action, story, character and something valuable to say in a compelling movie that you wish wouldn't end. And when the end does come, we wish all thrillers could be so genuine and real
02/12/09
Top CriticSwift investigations alter with elaborate set pieces in Milan and a staggering climax at the New York Guggenheim, a furious explosion of violence and excitement that ranks among the most exhilarating sequences I've seen in a long time.
02/12/09
Unlike many recent thrillers, it's not disposable. Days after seeing it, the film is still on my mind.
02/19/09
The International plays less like a modern action thriller and more like a conspiracy-minded '70s flick -- think Three Days of the Condor or The Parallax View.
02/13/09
There are dashes of style here and there that almost threaten to make the movie halfway worthwhile.
02/28/09
The pace is fast and the action, particularly a mind-boggling shoot-'em-up in the Guggenheim Museum, furious enough. But the less-conventional elements are in many ways even more effective.
02/12/09
Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York gets its props.... Not since Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle has the Upper East Side landmark hosted such violence.
02/13/09
The International is 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.
02/10/09
I was really disappointed.
02/17/09
A sleek conspiracy thriller from German director Tom Tykwer.
02/17/09
The International is just passable; it’s a clock-puncher that’s almost entirely free of suspense or surprise.
02/12/09
Its premise aches with timely resonance. It’s directed with meticulous artistry. So why does it ultimately feel so empty and forgettable?
02/12/09
Apart from the episode in the Guggenheim, the action in The International is distant and overcalculated.
02/13/09
Latest News for The International
March 22, 2009:
Click for trailer and preview 
More...
February 16, 2009:
Perhaps a perverse variation of The Peter Principle comes into play, here, since Tom Twyker appears to be over his head helming a Hollywood blockbuster as opposed to a modest, art house indie.
More...
February 14, 2009:
The Naomi Watts International Interview: On sleepless nights, lactose lobotomies and almost kissing scenes
More...
February 12, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Friday the 13th Feels Too Familiar
This week at the movies, we've got creepy campers (Friday the 13th, starring Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker), conspicuous consumption (Confessions of a Shopaholic,... More...
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