The International - B-

In theaters. Rated R, 110 minutes. Trailer.

The International is a clunky international banking thriller starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. Clive Owen is an interpol agent doggedly following a case against a multi-national bank that deals in corruption, weapons and control of third world regimes. Watts is a Manhattan District Attorney assisting with the case. Much of the film is enjoyable and interesting, but it was ultimately unable to overcome an amateurish script and several long patches of irrelevant scenes to be a good film. Click below for more International:

Clive's character never gets developed much, and to the extent it is developed it seems like a very similar character to Theo in Children of Men. Watts was wasted as a 1 dimensional character with lots of bad lines. Throughout the film scenes are ruined with groan-worthy platitudes and laughable dialogue. There are a few good scenes, notably the shoot-out in the Guggenheim museum in New York and any scene with Patrick Baladi (Neil Godwin from The Office). This got pushed from last year to this year because of the bad reviews - the re-shoots didn't accomplish much. The film's direction is good, with lots of interesting angles and multiple tight scenes.