Preview Movie Review

Interpreter, The

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Entertainment: +2

Content: -1 1/2

In this dramatic thriller with a story that spans two continents, Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) was born and raised in the South African country of Matobo. This tribal land has been riddled with political turmoil and humanitarian offenses for years. With a desire to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialog, Silvia studied linguistics. Now as an interpreter for the United Nations, she is one of a handful of linguists that understands the ancient tribal languages and customs of Africa. Returning to her UN office in New York late one night, she overhears voices discussing plans for a terrorist attack against the visiting head of state (Earl Cameron) for Matobo. Federal Agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and his partner Agent Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) investigate Broomes report and also evaluate Broomes possible motives for lying about the whole event. Many points of view add to the intrigue of this suspenseful film.

Sydney Pollack directs a powerful movie mystery with many facets and facades. The Interpreter brings the realities of Third World politics home to the U.S. as Matobian extremists believe it more befitting to their cause to publicly eliminate their opponents on American soil. This is a film about justice, grief, vengeance, compassion and forgiveness. There is no sexual content, and the violence and language, while not excessive, is intense at times. Young boys, for example, who appear to be innocently playing in an athletic stadium are actually brutal murderers with their many victims stacked like wood in a storage room beneath the stadium. One cold-hearted boy holds a gun to a mans head and lethally pulls the trigger. Many people in this film are not what they appear to be. Preview gives this film a negative rating for the violence, language and a brief lap-dance scene involving nudity.

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Preview Reviewer: Brian Hughes
Distributor: Universal

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Few (4) times mild (hell 4)

Obscene Language: Several (5) times strong (s-word 5)

Profanity: Several times moderate (G 1); strong (GD 2, J 2)

Violence: Many times mild (someone tries to run a motor scooter off the road, discussion of drowning a guilty person as a form of justice, injuries from an explosion, discussion of atrocities against humanity by a governmental official); moderate (men shot repeatedly by children with automatic riffles, bus explodes with people in it); strong (dead bodies decomposing with flies buzzing around them, man is shot in the head, man is suffocated by another person, dead body in a closet, man is shown dead in bloody bathwater, man has a gun held to his head)

Sex: None

Nudity: Few times mild (women at an exotic dance club dancing in g-strings); moderate (woman exposes buttocks in dance club while giving man a lap dance)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: None

Drugs: Some drinking of alcohol

Other: Explanation of an African tribal practice involving the names of the dead, appropriate use Thank you God!)

Running Time: 90 minutes
Intended Audience: Older teens and Adults

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