Eurothriller

I went to see The International the day it opened, but I was apparently one of the few, seeing as the movie didn't make a whole lot of money ($10.7 million on opening weekend). Truth is, I went to see it because a friend wanted to go see it, and I didn't mind. She really wanted to go see Clive Owen, and I thought looking at Naomi Watts wouldn't be exactly hard to endure, if you know what I mean.

The International tells the story of an Interpol agent (Owen) and an American District Attorney (Watts) who are trying to bring down the IBBC, a bank that's apparently laundering money for terrorists and involved in all sorts of nasty stuff. Throughout the movie, Owen and Watts travel from one European country to another, run for their lives, shoot people down, get shot at on a number on occasions, and follow the clues they find to catch evil assassins and even eviler bankers.
The movie was entertaining, but the one thing I kept thinking was that this is what the James Bond franchise could have looked like if Owen had, like it was rumored at the time, become the new Bond instead of Daniel Craig. Personally, I find Craig tougher and more charismatic than Owen, but good ole Clive does a good job of being resilient, sleep-deprived, determined, and stubborn as all hell. Plus, he's got scowling down to a T, since that is pretty much all his character does in the movie.

Still, I don't want you to think I'm panning either the movie or Clive Owen. Both do what they're supposed to do (entertain and scare you with the real-life implications of the plot), and there are a couple of really cool scenes (the one at the Guggenheim Museum comes to mind) that are well orchestrated and quite effective. Plus, Naomi Watts looks great with that scarf around her neck.