Interpreting nothing special

The United Nation's Headquarters is like the kitchen table for the world's largest dysfunctional family. Instead of family dinners comprised of mudslinging, ridicule and general disgust for one another, the United Nations is the setting for political intrigue, assassinations plots and conspiracy theories.

"The Interpreter," directed by Sydney Pollack ("Tootsie," "Out of Africa"), is the first film ever shot inside U.N. Headquarters.

Nicole Kidman ("Eyes Wide Shut") stars as Silvia Broome, a United Nations interpreter and a native of Matobo, a fictional African country currently engaged in genocide. Upon entering the United Nations late one night, Broome overhears a plot to assassinate Matoban President Zuwanie. He is scheduled to deliver a speech to the General Assembly in order to justify Matobo's genocide.

Although the throng of protesters lined along Second Avenue wouldn't mind if the unpopular Zuwanie was shot up like Sonny Corleone by hit men doing their best Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield impressions, the U.S. government doesn't think the U.N. Headquarters would be the best setting to bump off a national leader.

Federal agent Tobin Keller, played by Sean Penn ("Mystic River"), investigates Broom and questions if she has underlying motives that may have caused her to fabricate the story.

The acting of Kidman and Penn is a throwback to the onscreen duos of 1940s film noir like Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor in "The Maltese Falcon." Like other characters from that time, Keller is the omniscient detective with a kind heart and a slightly psychotic edge who's always one step ahead of the mystery. Penn's portrayal is just as classic as Kidman's, who plays the role as the shady damsel in distress who's strong-minded one scene, vulnerable the next.

This trite and methodological convention only works because Kidman and Penn don't try too hard to win another Oscar, while other actors would try to create scenes bloated with emotion. They put their superstardom aside by following the golden rule of acting: less is more.

Pollack's filmography includes thrillers "Three Days of the Condor" and "The Firm." Like his other thrillers, "The Interpreter" relies on intelligent dialogue and high-profile actors to convey the story. Pollack avoids the temptation of implanting cheap special effects by putting the film on the shoulders of his two leads.

What results is boredom.

Even though Keller's wife just died in a tragic car accident, and Broome might be involved in an international plot to overthrow the Matoban government because her family was killed by a landmine in South Central Africa, there's not much that's interesting about the characters.

Maybe the characters ring hollow because the audience hasn't erased memories of the other 18 roles Kidman and Penn have acted in this year, or maybe it's because the hackneyed and rehashed roles will cause audiences to forget the characters. Roles in other thrillers like Sinatra in "The Manchurian Candidate" and Nicholson in "Chinatown" are memorable not because of their performance, but because of their elaborate and unforgettable plots.

Intelligent thrillers like Peterson's "In the Line of Fire," Coppola's "The Conversation," Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate," along with Demme's remake, captivated audiences without the use of mindless explosions and scenes of carnage by use of novel characters in stories tweaked just enough to the left of normal.

"The Interpreter" doesn't pick up until minutes before climax when last second plot twists finally pump air into the lungs of a relatively lifeless movie. Unfortunately, it's too late to make up for the lack of suspense and the stale characters that bored audiences for the majority of the film.

The movie does deserve some commendation for taking on issues like genocide, peace and revenge without getting too preachy. Kidman and Penn performed well in their limited roles, and Pollack's direction was solid, but uninspired.

"The Interpreter" is further proof that without the right story, superstars and a super director cannot make something out of nothing.