I’d be lying if I said Clive Owen wasn’t the only reason I even considered seeing The International.  Not only is he the manliest guy in Hollywood, but he seems to choose good movies to take part in.  Inside Man was brilliant, Derailed had enough twists and turns to keep any thriller fan happy, Shoot ‘Em Up was fun, and Sin City was, well, Sin City.  Simply put, most of Mr. Owen’s work is not only strong because of his talents, but because the work he chooses to take part in is strong all around.

And yet, I can’t help but wonder his choice to be part of The International.  Right off the bat you are thrown into a situation about a bank that kills people who threaten to bring them down.  Two hours later, the movie finishes up and a movie that seemed to have all the pieces of a great thriller never gets put together the way the box intended.  I was not shocked to learn that this was writer Eric Singer’s first screenplay.

On top of a plot that never comes together, there is subpar acting across the board, boring characters, and places where you feel like you should should feel emotion – whether happiness or anger – but you don’t.  When it comes down to it, The International isn’t a horrid movie, but it is so average and long that it isn’t worth seeing.  It hurts me to say that even Clive couldn’t save this one.

(5.0/10)