The Interpreter

Looking for an intelligent movie for adults with solid acting and strong storytelling? If so, "The Interpreter" is the movie you will want to check out this weekend. Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn provide character depth to a story that holds your attention and keeps you guessing throughout as to who's good and who's bad.

Kidman plays Silvia Broome, a UN interpreter who overhears a conversation involving a death threat to a visiting African head of state. Penn is Keller, the Federal agent assigned to the case, first to determine the veracity of Silvia's story, then to protect her when it becomes apparent that someone is out to get her. The story gets complicated when, in doing the background search, Keller discovers Broome's ties to a violent African past. There are more bad guys than good, and it becomes more of a race against time as to who accomplishes their goal first.

At times, "The Interpreter" was as confusing as UN politics, but the end result may be one of the best things to come out of that building in years. While neither Kidman nor Penn deliver their best performance ever, they work well with and against each other. There is a slight romantic overtone, but nothing that gets played out here. This story is more politically intriguing with a few hold-your-breath moments than anything else. I would have given it an A had it not seemed to run just a little too long. Instead, I give it an A-.

"The Interpreter" is rated PG-13 with a running time of just over two hours.