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THE INTERNATIONAL is a film that wants to be two kinds of movies at once, and somewhat drops the ball on being either very effectively.

This tells the story of an effort by law enforcement officials to bring down The International Bank of Business & Commerce, the IBBC. This bank, we’re told right from the start, is involved in weapons trading and many shady deals involving violent overthrows of governments and so forth. They don’t really make money off the arms dealing, they make money handling the debt of the newly emerging governments. They are a ruthless bunch, operating like a shadowy intelligence agency…assassinating those who stand in the way, bribing others. There is no way to bring them to justice, it would seem, because they have their fingers in every pie, and will kill anyone who might get in their way.

So first, THE INTERNATIONAL wants to be an “intelligent” thriller, with lots of suspense generated by the political and economic machinations of men in business suits talking in hushed tones. We see the good guys and the bad guys both discussing with each other the ramifications of one course of action or another. There is lots of globetrotting, with scenes in Luxembourg, France, Italy, the US & Turkey. These scenes are only moderately interesting, because in the end, the schemes of the bank are only drawn out in the most simplistic terms (the movie wants us to FEEL that everything is richly detailed and complicated, but it really isn’t). AND, most importantly, the actions of the bank don’t really feel entirely credible. Not that a financial institution wouldn’t align itself with some really bad guys…but the whole thing really just feels like a half-baked Roger Moore-era James Bond kind of plot.

The other half of the movie wants to be an action thriller of the BOURNE ilk. But the action and gunplay and forensic police work is mostly quite staid and uninspired. With one notable exception. There is a fabulously elaborate, visceral and exciting gun battle set in the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. Naturally, it relies on the old standby that all bad guys are terrible shots and good guys seldom miss…but it’s a thrilling, old-fashioned sequence that makes the rest of the movie almost worthwhile.

Also worthwhile is the always solid presence of Clive Owen. Here’s a guy who can really act, when given the chance. He can be charming, he can be soulless…but he’s seldom boring (and he’s always vaguely half-shaved…talk about swarthy). Yet true stardom has eluded him, because the truly best material doesn’t go his way…or when something flat-out brilliant like CHILDREN OF MEN lands on his lap, no one goes to see it. Owen is the right man for THE INTERNATIONAL, though. He’s capable of handling the talky dialogue. He seems vaguely impatient with all the chatter and politics, and just wants to get on with taking some people DOWN. And when the action does kick in, he’s not just an impervious gunslinger…we see real fear and real hurt. We believe that he is a hero who COULD get killed. He brings a humanity to the most “Hollywood” of scenes and he brings movie star glamour to the most mundane of scenes. It’s an interesting dichotomy.

Owen is the star of the film…no question. He is in nearly every scene, and director Tom Tykwer likes to give us lots of close-ups. But Owen is assisted by a sold supporting cast, including the always welcome Naomi Watts. Her role is seriously underwritten and probably could have been handled by anyone…but it’s nice to see her anyway. The silky-voiced, menacing Armin Muehler-Stahl also shows up as one of the head honchos from the bank. This guy has THAT character down pat, and he’s also always welcome.

Tykwer can be a great director (RUN LOLA RUN is a propulsive film in the best possible way)…and the gunfight shows where his true talents lie. He doesn’t bring much zest to the talkier scenes, and I hope someone notices this and gives him a more action-packed thriller to helm.

Overall, I enjoyed THE INTERNATIONAL, but for most of its 118 minutes, I was quite aware that what I was seeing was not going to leave much of an impression. It’s a solid but seldom exciting movie. It wants to think it has captured the flavor of our times, but it isn’t rooted enough in believability. If you like Clive Owen, I’d say it’s worth a look. If you’re not a particular fan…then there’s very little reason to spend time on it. It’s a near miss.

“The International” is a good and honest movie. Hollywood generally doesn’t release movies that are fairly original and intellectually respectful to the audience. The story deals with world bank corruption and how it’s not the money that motivates them, but rather the power of enslaving nations and people with debt. If you know anything about the fractional reserve system of current banking, then this movie makes a lot of sense. I am surprised that Hollywood would release a movie like this.

The movie doesn’t try to be more then it is. It does, however, take the audience on a journey to explain how the current economic situation could possibly be manipulated. The movie does follow some cliches, but I felt they were handled in original and artistic ways. The Guggenheim scene was very interesting and an original place to stage a Hollywood shootout. The story from start to finish is solid and easy to follow. There were no huge plot twists, however the character resolutions have their complexities and the finale is a little peculiar, but still gratifying and complete.

Clive Owen gives a wonderful and believable performance as a man over the edge and determined to expose the truth of this cloak and dagger organization. Naomi Watts does a good job as a supporting character and doesn’t get in the way of the story, but she amplifies it when necessary.

I greatly enjoyed this movie. I skipped seeing it at the theater because it looked a little long, but after watching it on DVD my worries that the plot would be thin were put to rest. The story keeps the flow going and the audience interested the whole time.

“The International” is a socio-political thriller that seems very prescient coming at a time when so many banks are failing and the world seems even more of a precarious place than usual. This film about an investigation of a bank’s shady dealings seems more and more like a possibility given that nowadays, legal business dealings might not afford as much of a profit.

The film stars Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, who play, respectively, an Interpol agent and a NY City Assistant DA, who are investigating the IBBC, an international bank suspected of being involved in illegal arms deals. The bank works quickly to silence any opposition or any employee who tries to inform of the bank’s activities. Owen and Watts find themselves thwarted at every turn, until the likelihood of bringing the bank to justice becomes bleaker and bleaker.

Owen smolders as only he can as an angry, hard-nosed cop who dogged pursuit of the IBBC has already cost him his job as a cop with Scotland Yard, and one would imagine, a whole lot more. Watts maintains steadiness and aplomb as she puts her life and career in jeopardy to work with Owen. Fine supporting performance by Armin Mueller-Stahl as one of the bank’s principals and Brian F. O’Byrne as The Consultant, the bank’s assassin round out the film, which has a spectacular set-piece shootout at the Guggenheim Museum.

Fans looking for a constant rock ‘em, sock ‘em action thriller like the Bourne movies may be disappointed with The International, but it is a paranoid, sharply plotted film that has interesting characters and a great story.