The International

Movie Man Mike reviews a fairly recent release

The International (B-) This film had a lot of potential. It might have been better if it were written as a James Bond film. Instead, Louis Salinger, a former Interpol agent played by Clive Owen, is working for the New York District Attorney's office alongside Assistant DA Eleanor Whitman, played by Naomi Watts. The two are investigating some questionable banking transactions by the third largest bank in the world. Each time Salinger gets close to uncovering the bank's big secret--that it is financing world conflict--his witnesses die and the trail nearly disappears. Ultimately, Salinger has to go outside the bounds of the law to bring the bank down. One of my favorite scenes is a shoot-out that takes place at the Guggenheim in New York. I'll never be able to visit that museum again without an exit strategy and without constantly looking over my shoulder for gunmen. I enjoyed this film, but in the end, the resolution of the conflict was a little underwhelming.