BOTTOM LINE: The first film to play on the potential evil-doings of global banks in the current climate is a mis-directed methodical bore, with no intrigue or thrills and a mis-cast Clive Owen in the lead role.

THE GOOD: There’s a real cool scene early on in “The International” where Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) question an Italian politician about his company’s dealings with the The International, a powerful global bank. He explains to them that a bank is in the business of controlling debt. By controlling debt, they can make individuals, corporations and even entire countries slaves to their power. Given the economic climate we are now living in thanks to the global financial crisis, this theme plays right in to the uncertainty and fear that is plaguing the world at the moment and serves as an excellent springboard for a new type of thriller yet retaining some very old-style genre conventions. There are certain points in this film that make you wonder if banks could be in the position to do these things and herein lies the only real strength of this film. There are also certain points in this film that recall old-style thrillers of people tackling powerful corporations and/or individuals in action-packed and thrilling environments. “The International” will hopefully lead to more films on this topic, even if it does not do justice to its premise.

THE BAD: “The International” has such a great central idea, it’s a shame it’s wasted with such poor delivery and execution. From the beginning, we are told the bank is evil and we just have to accept it. There is no dramatic set-up for the bank itself, or even any clear sequences where we see what actions they are prepared to take to stay in control. A scene where an Italian politician giving a speech at a rally where he is assassinated by members of the Bank is the only time we see them really do something devious, but again, without the dramatic setup, it just becomes another action scene and there’s no hook for us to sympathise with Salinger’s plight to bring them down. Interactions between supposedly important characters are never fleshed out or even clearly drawn. There is only one big action scene in the film where the Bank’s henchman try to gun down Salinger and his contact in the Guggenheim which starts off okay but turns in to a silly and stupid mess by its conclusion (and I mean ‘mess’ because there’s lot of unnecessary blood splurting in all directions in certain shots). As a result, the majority of the film is basically watching a grave-faced and bored Clive Owen telling everyone how he’s going to bring down the bank. There’s no intrigue, investigation, mystery or in the end interest in what happens. The climactic ending where Salinger faces off the head of the bank is so sloppily done that you’ll laugh. “The International” could have been so much more; a modern Hitchcock paranoia film or even just a decent action film, but in the end, it’s just a great idea with no drama or punch line with a drop of stupidity thrown in for good measure.