The International

So has anyone seen this movie?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963178/

Just watched it this morning after awaiting it for a long time. What kept me eager to watch it, was its thriller-plot about the banking world. The funny thing is, that at first, it was previewed so badly that they postponed the release, only to be exactly in the mids of the banking crisis coincidently.

Overall I liked it, some small things where a bit annoying and after reading/watching the news the story is not that shocking anymore, but the topic, the audio, the visual and the main character are all brilliant IMO.

I saw it with some friends over the break and I didn't really like it. It's not an awful movie, just okay, but I didn't like it.

The good:
Clive Owen
Great shootout
Great locations
Started out strong

The bad:
The characters flat: they had no background and no depth. They spent a minute on Clive's problems at Interpol, and we saw a brief moment of Naomi's family (like 15 seconds) but that's it. What did Naomi bring to the story anyway? She came and left. I had a bigger grief with Clive Owen's character. He was so consistently grumpy that I didn't care about him at all ("I'm more relaxed when I'm tense" he said, or something along those lines). These are small problems though, and I didn't really think about them until I got home.

Also, the middle was very slow. VERY SLOW. It was just scouting around for someone they couldn't quite find, talk, talk, more talk, more scouting, and nothing came of it until the shootout. I actually had to get up and walk outside and stretch my legs to keep from falling asleep! Granted, I was quite tired and it was around midnight when we went to watch the movie, but a thriller shouldn't have that effect. The shootout woke up though, man that was awesome.

The ending was (spoilers)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

depressing and unsatisfying. I know he couldn't really beat the entire corruption system by himself but shouldn't he get some of reward, a culmination of all that work and toil to bring down the bank (and shouldn't I get something even mildly rewarding for sitting through it all)? Nothing changed, he ran around the world for nothing, it was all for nothing. The death of that Turk didn't really mean anything to me, he was just another suit introduced in the second half.

The newspapers headlines at the end might prove me wrong, though again nothing really changed.

edit: I just found out this movie was made by the same guy who made Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer). I saw that last week. Wow, I'd have never guessed, and RLR is way better than this.

@D.B. Cooper

I saw it with some friends over the break and I didn't really like it. It's not an awful movie, just okay, but I didn't like it.

Yeah, It was no masterpiece, but after just watching Notorious I have to say that it kept me on edge during the entire movie compared to that Puff Daddy crap. Its certainly a movie worth to watch.

The good:
Clive Owen

Yeah, I cant really think of someone else pulling that role off in a believable way, after all he played Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon.

Great shootout

Yeah, you can see Tom Tykwers hand in there, when you look at the location and how he picked out scenes and lines from classical action flicks, that even the arty-farty and action-noobs like Tykwer digs.

Great locations

Yeah, I loved that. Quantum of Solace could have used some of those.

Started out strong

Except for the end I found the movie to have a good pace, although the end suits the entire dilemma.

The bad:
The characters flat: they had no background and no depth. They spent a minute on Clive's problems at Interpol,

Granted.

and we saw a brief moment of Naomi's family (like 15 seconds) but that's it. What did Naomi bring to the story anyway? She came and left.

Her character was completely unnecessary in this movie.

I had a bigger grief with Clive Owen's character. He was so consistently grumpy that I didn't care about him at all ("I'm more relaxed when I'm tense" he said, or something along those lines).

I liked that, it suits his acting and displays a moralist having his hand tied, although the only one obligated to act against this International white-collar crime.

These are small problems though, and I didn't really think about them until I got home.

I didnt like the casting of the killer btw. The role of Armin Müller-Stahl was absolutly fantastic, although I dont like most of his roles(like in Eastern Promises).

The ending was (spoilers) [spoiler]depressing and unsatisfying. I know he couldn't really beat the entire corruption system by himself but shouldn't he get some of reward, a culmination of all that work and toil to bring down the bank (and shouldn't I get something even mildly rewarding for sitting through it all)?

Thats European cinema man, we just got fed up with all the happy ends from Hollywood. I found it rewarding, because it displays reality, causes to think and to maybe act.

Nothing changed, he ran around the world for nothing, it was all for nothing. The death of that Turk didn't really mean anything to me, he was just another suit introduced in the second half.

He was a Dane, who was casted greatly I must say. He remembered me of Octavian from the series Rome and how he and his entourage play emperor intelligently.

edit: I just found out this movie was made by the same guy who made Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer). I saw that last week. Wow, I'd have never guessed, and RLR is way better than this.

Indeed, that was his only more action like movie, he usually makes much slower arty movies.

Anyway, thx for replying.