Themes: Assassination Plots, Conspiracies, Heads of State
Main Cast: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen, Yvan Attal
Release Year: 2005
Country: US
Run Time: 129 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
An overheard conversation leads a woman into a dark world of deadly intrigue in this political thriller. Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is an African émigré who works as an interpreter at the United Nations. One of the languages she understands is Ku, a dialect spoken in her home country of Matobo. One day, as the General Assembly auditorium is being evacuated for a routine security sweep, Broome overhears a man speaking in Ku, who makes a cryptic statement that could be interpreted as a threat against the life of Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), Matobo's controversial ruler. Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) is brought in to investigate Broome's story, and it isn't long before he's convinced that she knows more than she's willing to tell. As Keller and his partner, Dot Woods (Catherine Keener), dig deeper into Broome's story as well as her past, they discover a shocking tale of violence and corruption tied to Zuwanie's regime. The Interpreter was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also appears in a brief supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
John Ford supposedly said the most compelling image you can put in a film is a human face. John Ford would have loved directing Sean Penn. As he moves into middle-age, Penn has not lost an ounce of his skill as an actor. He is unable to do anything that seems out of character. But now his face has developed lines that, along with the grey hairs at his temples, give him a lived-in-look that reinforces his ingrained authenticity. The scene that introduces his character makes no sense -- the viewer is given no information about why he is drinking alone, unplugging a jukebox, or listening to outgoing phone machine messages. But it is a compelling sequence thanks to Penn's talent and his look. You know the character is experiencing something deep and painful even if you have no idea what it is. Director Sydney Pollack knows how to use his actors well. Nicole Kidman's character is supposed to be more mysterious so she does not get to be as emotionally open as Penn, but she is his equal in their scenes together -- scenes that snap with sparkling multi-layered dialogue. Some might be understandably bothered by the use of African genocide as a backdrop for a glossy Hollywood thriller, but the film is about the characters more than the plot. The central relationship between the pair is so deftly played, written so note-perfectly, and directed with such respectful understatement that their give and take helps to keep the audience blind to the film's faults. A superb suspense sequence involving three different tailings that end up with all of the watchers and the watched on the same bus shows that Pollack still has a great deal of skill behind the camera. The Interpreter is slick Hollywood entertainment to be sure, but it works because Pollack understands the truism spoken by John Ford. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Vladimir Bibic - G.A. President; Earl Cameron - Zuwanie; Tsai Chin - Luan; Clyde Kusatsu - Police Chief Lee Wu; John di Benedetto - Mechanic; Eric Keenleyside - Rory Robb; Adrian Martinez - Roland; Kirby Mitchell - U.N. Security Officer; Harry O'Reilly - U.N. Security Officer; Byron Utley - Jean Gamba; Jim Ward - U.N. Security Officer; George Harris - Kuman-kuman; Robert Clohessy - FBI Agent King; Ramsey Faragallah - Polygraph Technician; Michael Wright - Marcus; David Zayas - Charlie Russell; Hugo Speer - Simon Broome; Pietro Gonzalez - Chilean Ambassador; Terry Serpico - FBI Agent Lewis; John Knox - Fred Jameson; Maz Jobrani - Mo; Harry W. Prichett - News Reporter; Nelson Landrieu - Spanish Speaking Interpreter; Chris McKinney - Forensic Officer; Leonid Citer - Russian Interpreter; David Fonteno - Phillip Ostroff; Lynne Deragon - American Ambassador Davis; Lou Ferguson - Matoban Ambassador; Christopher Evan Welch - Jonathan Williams; Guy A. Fortt - U.N. Security Officer; Michael Patrick McGrath - Jonathan Ferris; Yusuf Gatewood - Doug; Curtiss I'Cook - Ajene Xola; Manuel Mawele - African Boy; Dino Mulima - African Boy; Francine Roussel - Isobel; Enid Graham - Jenny; Okwui Okpokwasili - Tour Guide; Jacques Sebag - French Ambassador; Patrick Ssenjovu - Jad Jamal; Paul De Sousa - Portuguese Janitor; Martha Elliott - Woman On Bus; Trevor Archer - U.N. Security Officer; Ricardo Walker - U.N. Security Officer; Bridget L. Doerksen - Stripper; Ana Maria Lupo - Stripper; Satish Joshi - Secretary General; Sophie Traub - Young Silvia; Monty Ashton-Lewis - Young Simon; Pat Kiernan - Himself; Margot Staub - News Reporter; Ed Onipede Blunt - News Reporter; Diane Winter - British Airways Ticket Agent; Litto - African Boy
Credit
Liza Chasin - Co-producer, Debra Hayward - Co-producer, Sarah Edwards - Costume Designer, Sydney Pollack - Director, William Steinkamp - Editor, Anthony Minghella - Executive Producer, Sydney Pollack - Executive Producer, G. Mac Brown - Executive Producer, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Jon Hutman - Production Designer, Darius Khondji - Cinematographer, Tim Bevan - Producer, Eric Fellner - Producer, Kevin Misher - Producer, Martin Stellman - Screen Story, Brian Ward - Screen Story, Scott Frank - Screenwriter, Steven Zaillian - Screenwriter, Charles Randolph - Screenwriter, Carla Meyer - Dialect Coach, Tim Monich - Dialect Coach
The United Nations is considering indicting Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), president of Matobo, to trial in the International Criminal Court. Initially a liberator, over the past 20 years he has become as corrupt and tyrannical as the government he overthrew, and is now responsible for ethnic cleansing and other atrocities within Matobo. Zuwanie is soon to visit the United Nations and put forward his own case to the General Assembly, in an attempt to avoid the indictment.
A security scare forces the evacuation of the UN building, and Silvia returns at night to reclaim some personal belongings. At that time she overhears discussion of an assassination plot, and runs scared from the building when those discussing the plot become aware of her presence. The next day, Silvia recognises words in a meeting where she is interpreting from phrases she overheard the night before, and reports the incident to UN security; the target of the plot appears to be Zuwanie himself. They, in turn, call in the United States Secret Service, who assign Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) to investigate, as well as protect Zuwanie when he arrives. Keller learns that Silvia has, in the past, been involved in a Matoban guerrilla group, that her parents and sister were killed by land mines laid by Zuwanie, and that she has dated one of Zuwanie's political opponents. Although Keller considers Silvia a prime suspect, the two grow close and Keller ends up protecting her.
The assassin is discovered while Zuwanie is in the middle of his address to the General Assembly, and security personnel rush Zuwanie to a safe room for his protection. In the confusion, Silvia attempts to take revenge on Zuwanie for all that has happened, and Keller arrives just in time to prevent her from murdering him. The assassination plot is revealed to be a sham; Zuwanie planned it to enhance his own credibility, and thus avoid the indictment, while also eliminating his political opponents. Zuwanie is indicted, and Silvia is expelled from the UN, returning home to Matobo soon afterwards.
Production
Filming in UN buildings
Kidman and Penn in a scene inside U.N. General Assembly.
The Interpreter is the first movie ever filmed inside the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council chambers. Earlier films used only the exteriors or were filmed back when the buildings were under construction (and did not really have an "inside"). The producers approached the U.N. about filming there before, but their request was turned down. The production would have relocated to Toronto with a constructed set; however, this would have substantially increased costs, and so Sydney Pollack approached then-Secretary GeneralKofi Annan directly, and personally negotiated permission to film inside the United Nations. Annan commented on The Interpreter that "the intention was really to do something dignified, something that is honest and reflects the work that this Organization does. And it is with that spirit that the producers and the directors approached their work, and I hope you will all agree they have done that."
Because the UN Security Council can call an emergency meeting at any time with 3 hours notice, the film crew had to take into account that they could be asked to leave almost immediately.
Ambassadors at the United Nations had hoped to appear in the film, but actors were asked to play the roles of diplomats. Spain's UN Ambassador Inocencio Arias jokingly complained that his "opportunity to have a nomination for the Oscar next year went away because of some stupid regulation." (See "Diplomats' movie hopes dashed" story on BBC News)
Matobo and Ku
The country "Republic of Matobo" and its corresponding constructed language "Ku" were created for this film. The director of the Centre for African Language Learning in England, Said el-Gheithy, was commissioned in January 2004 to create Ku. Ku is based on Bantu languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa, and is a cross between Swahili and Shona, with some unique elements.
The tagline for the film, "The truth needs no translation.", in Ku is Angota ho ne njumata.
According to Box Office Mojo, The Interpreter had a domestic gross of $72,708,161 and an international tally of $90,236,762, bringing the picture's worldwide gross to $162,944,923. Its budget was $80 million.
