Review: “Interpreter”a terrific thriller
Sydney Pollack knows his way around a thriller. He''s the director who brought us "Three Days of the Condor" and "The Firm," and he''s a master at slowly building a sense of dramatic urgency until a shattering breaking point is finally achieved.
In his new film, "The Interpreter" -- a finely tuned example of the genre -- Pollack doesn''t disappoint.
In a scene in which a possible murder is viewed across a courtyard, the director follows the action through the window of one apartment into the window of another; the scene moves nicely, reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock''s "Rear Window." And Hitch would be proud.
In one respect, Pollack goes Hitchcock one better in "The Interpreter."
When Hitchcock wanted to shoot 1959''s "North by Northwest" at U.N. headquarters in New York, he was turned down. Pollack received approval, which makes "The Interpreter" the first feature film actually shot inside the U.N.. The location provides a sense of realism -- and tension -- that otherwise would have been impossible to obtain.
"The Interpreter" stars Nicole Kidman as Silvia Broome, a translator who hears a death threat against Edmond Zuwanie, the head of state of the fictional African country of Matobo. He''s turned against his people, becoming a vicious warlord , and his murder is to be carried out in front of the entire world when Zuwanie addresses the U.N.''s General Assembly in a few days.
Broome, who was raised in Matobo and knows a few things about Zuwanie, is played by Kidman with equal measures of steel and vulnerability .
Her allegations of a murder plot are assigned to Tobin Keller, a recently widowed man played by Sean Penn in a terrifically controlled performance. Keller is highly skeptical of Broome''s allegations, and she doesn''t think too highly of him -- or his tactics -- either.
Both harbor deep secrets and personal pain, and both respond to the pressures of an assassination plot in different ways: she reacts to words and diplomacy, he relies on action and instinct. However, as they race against the clock -- and the tension mounts with each assault against Broome -- they form a tentative truce.
Director Sydney Pollack knows how to raise the level of dread in "The Interpreter."
How their feelings slowly change from uneasy distrust to unlikely bond is a testament to how artfully both Kidman and Penn have subtly layered their characters'' shifting interactions. They make the characters, and the relationship, their own.
The plot, with its elements of international political unrest, genocide and terrorism resonates deeply. Indeed, it''s fairly easy to think of the fictional country of Matobo as the African nation of Zimbabwe, and Edward Zuwanie as a thinly veiled stand-in for Zimbabwe''s leader, Robert Mugabe.
《翻译风波》—惊悚片的杰作
拍惊悚片，西尼·帕罗克有自己的一套。
作为一个导演，他善于在不紧不慢中制造戏剧性的紧张感，直到最后一刻完成令人震惊的大转折。之前他拍摄了《秃鹰的三天》和《糖衣陷阱》等影片。
帕罗克的新片《翻译风波》——惊悚片的完美代表——表现不俗。
影片中，有一幕讲述了穿过庭院看到似乎有谋杀案发生。导演在拍摄时跟随着表演穿过一所公寓的窗户，接着又进入另一所公寓的窗户。场景变换自然，让人想起阿尔弗雷德·希区柯可在《后窗》里的手法。希区柯可一定会为此感到骄傲。
在《翻译风波》中，帕罗克有一点比希区柯可做地更好。
1959年，希区柯可想在纽约联合国总部拍摄《西北偏北》，但他遭到了拒绝。而帕罗克的请求却获得了批准，《翻译风波》也因此成为第一部在联合国大厦内拍摄的电影。实景拍摄创造了一种其他方法无论如何也达不到的真实和紧张。
妮可·基得曼在片中饰演译员希薇亚·布伦，有一次她听到有人要谋害电影中虚构的非洲国家马特波的元首埃特蒙德·朱韦尼。他背叛了他的人民，变成了一个残酷的军阀。几天后他将在联合国大会上发表演讲，而他将在全世界面前被暗杀。
布伦在马特波长大，知道一些关于朱韦尼的事情。妮可·基得曼将她演绎成了一个既坚强又脆弱的角色。
托宾·凯勒（肖恩·潘饰）被指派负责调查布伦关于谋杀预谋一事。他刚刚丧妻，而肖恩·潘很好地控制了表演的火候。凯勒不相信布伦听到了谋杀预谋，而布伦也不喜欢凯勒以及他的策略。
两人心里都藏着秘密和痛苦，用不同的方式应付来自暗杀阴谋的压力：她选择言语和外交，他依靠行动和直觉。但在他们与时间赛跑时，压力也随着布伦受到的攻击不断增加，他们开始试着休战。
导演西尼·帕罗克知道如何在《翻译风波》中增强恐惧感。
男女主角从互相猜疑到形成一种不确定的关系，体现了妮可·基得曼和肖恩·潘如何艺术地展现他们角色在交流中微妙的变化。他们将角色以及他们的关系变成了自己。
该片的情节，因为包含了国际政治不稳定，屠杀和恐怖主义等元素引起了强烈的反响。的确，我们很容易把这个虚构的国家马特波当作津巴布韦，把朱韦尼看成津巴布韦领导人罗伯特·穆加比的替身。
Vocabulary:
shattering: seemingly loud enough to break something（令人震惊的）
reminiscent: serving to bring to mind（回忆往事的）
warlord: supreme military leader exercising civil power in a region especially one accountable to nobody when the central government is（军阀）
vulnerability: the state of being vulnerable or exposed（脆弱）
stand-in: （替身）
