The Bottom Line
You'd expect a little better from a cast of this caliber (Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener) and those raised expectations add to the frustration of watching this movie, which never really lives up to its potential.
Pros
- Decent collection of bonus features
- A timely story that's at times truly gripping
Cons
- Kidman fails to sell the role of an interpreter, and that's critical to enjoying the film
Description
- Commentary by Director Sydney Pollack
- 3 Deleted Scenes
- Alternate Ending - 'Naming the Dead'
- Sydney Pollack at Work: From Concept to Cutting Room - Pollack talks about why he became a director
- Interpreting Pan & Scan vs Widescreen - Pollack pleads for films to be left in their original format
- The Ultimate Movie Set: The United Nations - Behind the scenes look at filming the UN
- A Day in the Life of Real Life Interpreters
- DVD RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2005
Guide Review - "The Interpreter" DVD Review
Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn star in "The Interpreter," a thriller set in the high stakes world of politics and filmed at the real United Nations (the first film to be granted permission to do so).Directed by Sydney Pollack, "The Interpreter" focuses on U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome (Kidman) who accidently overhears a plot to kill the tyrannical leader of Matobo, Africa. She reports the threat to the feds and soon finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. Sean Penn and Catherine Keener co-star as federal agents assigned to protect Silvia and to determine whether she's telling the truth or if her involvement in the threatened assassination goes deeper than initially meets the eye.
DVD BONUS FEATURES
I actually enjoyed the bonus features more than the feature film. If you want to learn about filmmaking, watch any of the bonus material that focuses on director Sydney Pollack or listen to his commentary track. Of particular interest is Pollack's plea to leave films shot in widescreen in that format and not to chop them up using pan & scan. Pollack walks the viewer through a side-by-side comparison of a couple of scenes using the two different formats. It's a real eye-opening look at what happens to widescreen movies when they're chopped up for airing on TV.
