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The Interpreter

Play trailer Poster for The Interpreter PG-13,  Released Apr 22, 2005,  2h 3m,  Mystery & Thriller/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Buy Now Watchlist 57% 190 Reviews Tomatometer 54% 50,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
57% Tomatometer 190 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is at the United Nations when she overhears what she believes is a plan to assassinate the president of Matobo, Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron). When she alerts the authorities, Secret Service agents Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) are assigned to the case. It's not long before they decide that Silvia herself is a suspect, having formerly been involved with both a guerrilla group in Matobo and the president's chief opponent.
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Critics Consensus

A polished and intelligent thriller, though marred by plot implausibilities.

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Critics Reviews

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Ken Tucker New York Magazine/Vulture Penn is terrific in his low-key doggedness. May 12, 2006 Full Review Ian Nathan Empire Magazine Solid, mature and finely acted, but intermittently daft. Rated: 3/5 •  Apr 1, 2006 Full Review

Audience Reviews

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Blu B It ends up being a run of the mill forgettable political thriller more or less. Everything is just alright enough about it. Pollack's direction isn't bad with some nice framing, a memorable location,and good camerawork but the plot is just so complex. It feels like there's three different subplots going on. One with Kidman, another with the actual assassination plot, and Penn's investigation. It's so hard to follow in the middle. The twist makes sense but there is no way anyone could get that from what came before. It's so jumpy and convuluted. The other problem is the acting is so emotionless. Penn & Kidman have about as much chemistry as North & South Korea have. Also, because we never really get a face on the bad guy and just get goons and people just show up once it's very hard to put a face to any of the conspirators as well. Add all that up and it ends up getting very boring. It's a interesting setup and the core murder plot is interesting but it just gets so distracted. Also, I don't get why you'd show the murders in Africa at the start. Clearly Kidman isn't behind it after what we saw so suspecting her and watching it all unfold for the first half feels pointless despite using it to establish character to. Skip this. I can't even say Pollack has lost his touch at this point for a last flick. He's always been prone to making borefests like this throughout his career. This isn't the worst one though for better or worse. It just needed to focus on the core plot, get better acting, and be able to put a face to the bad dudes. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/08/25 Full Review David B Would have had so much potential, but it's frustrating how implausible the scenario goes. The plot relies on many holes, miscommunication and sometimes dumb behavior from the main character (Kidman). Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review
The Interpreter

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The Interpreter

The Interpreter: Official Clip - Voices and Faces The Interpreter: Official Clip - Voices and Faces 3:12 The Interpreter: Official Clip - We Don't Name The Dead The Interpreter: Official Clip - We Don't Name The Dead 3:32 The Interpreter: Official Clip - International Incident The Interpreter: Official Clip - International Incident 2:38 The Interpreter: Official Clip - The Shower Assassin The Interpreter: Official Clip - The Shower Assassin 2:16
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Movie Info

Synopsis Interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is at the United Nations when she overhears what she believes is a plan to assassinate the president of Matobo, Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron). When she alerts the authorities, Secret Service agents Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) are assigned to the case. It's not long before they decide that Silvia herself is a suspect, having formerly been involved with both a guerrilla group in Matobo and the president's chief opponent.
Director
Sydney Pollack
Producer
Tim Bevan
Screenwriter
Charles Randolph
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Working Title Films, Misher Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Sexual Content|Brief Strong Language|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 22, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$72.5M
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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