27th April, 2005
LLOYD HARKNESS

The Interpreter (M)

I probably should say up front that I am not a fan of Nicole Kidman or Sean Penn. If you’re in the same boat as me, don’t let this be the factor that stops you from seeing this film. Nicole and Sean create credible characters that set the momentum of the story. Nicole’s character, Silvia Broome, is particularly intriguing as her connection to Africa and the reason for her many secrets unfolds. She is a clear-headed, no-nonsense, idealistic interpreter working for the United Nations; because of that mysterious African heritage. Silvia overhears a whispered assassination plot, in a dialect basically no one else at the U.N. knows, and from then on the audience is taken on a political thriller ride. An African president who started as a man of and for the people has become a bloody dictator (sound familiar?), and he is to be killed on the U.N. floor when he delivers a controversial speech. Will the U.N. security services believe her and act in time? Will Sean Penn’s crusty special agent Keller, whose wife has just died, come to grips with what he is actually dealing with? If you like thrillers, go and enjoy.