The International   Starring: Clive Owen and Naomi Watts Sony Pictures Home Entertainment RRP: £19.99 CDR50944 Certificate: 15 Available 06 July 2009

Interpol agent Louis Salinger is determined to expose an arms dealing ring responsible for facilitating acts of terrorism around the globe. But as his investigation leads Salinger and his partner, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, deeper into the secret world of greed, corruption and murder, they become targets of a deadly conspiracy so vast, they soon find the only people left to trust... are each other. This pulse-pounding thriller plays a high-stakes game of suspense, intrigue and explosive action...

The International is an action thriller which sees an Interpol agent attempting to expose a corrupt bank which holds accounts for the majority of the illegal crime organisations and terrorist groups throughout the world. Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) has been close once before, but his investigation was shut down and his evidence discredited.

As Salinger starts to get his teeth into the bank once again, it slowly dawns on him that no matter how much he fights the organisation is too big to take down - that there are too many influential figures on its side willing to participate in whatever cover ups are necessary.

The relationship between Salinger and Whitman thankfully stays as a professional one - however there's a moment when the two almost get together. Thankfully they don't, as I think this would have totally ruined the plot by reverting to a more formulaic Hollywood plot.

This is not a mindless action adventure, and does require the audience to pay close attention to what is going on. Those with a low IQ or poor attention span should avoid watching this or they may find themselves scratching their heads at the conclusion.

Extras include an audio commentary with director Tom Tykwer and writer Eric Singer; Salinger and Whitman - Extended Scene (10 min, 56 sec collection of additional scenes, including one in which we get to meet Salinger's daughter); Making The International (28 min, 54 sec - the highlight of which was the revelation that the Grand Bazaar scene in Istanbul was shot without the locals realising they were on camera. So, when you see Owen running around with a gun, there was a serious danger he might get mobbed); Shooting at the Guggenheim (6 min, 33 sec look at constructing the set for New York's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum); The Autostadt (5 min, 04 sec look at the location that doubled for the bank in the movie); and trailers for other releases.

While not as action packed and as extreme as the Bond films that this is clearly trying to emulate, The International is still an enjoyable movie that's worth investing your time in.

7

Darren Rea