DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS:   129 minutes, four featurettes, feature audio commentary, deleted scenes, and an alterneate ending

STUDIO:   Universal/ Working Title

RELEASE DATE:  10-4-2005

THE INTERPRETER is a solid and addictive thriller that kept me watching, but the last fifteen minutes of this film are a disaster which are too preachy and absurd.  Nicole Kidman is restrained in her acting as UN Interpreter Slyvia Broome who overhears a plot to kill Matobon President Zuwanie.  Sean Penn isn't bad as Secret Service Agent Tobin Keller, but every other character is basically there to fuel the plot or act as window dressing.  Sydney Pollack does a stellar directing job and yet I wish they went into filming with a finished script.

VIDEO:  2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)

The transfer is top notch.  Colors are vibrant.  Shadow detail is good and Image detail is great.

AUDIO: English 5.1, French 5.1, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles:  French, Spanish, English captions

The audio track is also great.  Dialogue is easy to hear and the sound mix has power to it.  The film and special features do have a subitle option.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The alternate ending is worse than the film's ending while the three deleted scenes show some throwaway bits (but I wish they could have played up the element mentioned in the second scene).

The four featurettes aren't fluff.  They actually do add some interesting info and are quite watchable.

SYDNEY POLLACK AT WORK: FROM CONCEPT TO CUTTING ROOM-  The director explains the challenges he had shooting this film including not having a finished script when they began.

INTERPRETING PAN & SCAN VS. WIDESCREEN-  Director Sydney Pollack explains he got away from filiming in widescreen until the DVD format brought him back to it.  He shows how widescreen brings more info to a scene.

THE ULTIMATE MOVIE SET: THE UNITED NATIONS-  A good behind-the-scenes look at filming inside the UN (the first film able to do it). They almost didn't get to film there.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A REAL INTERPRETERS has a few UN interpreters talk about their jobs at the UN.

Also included are some trailers you can skip over to get to the main menu and an audio commentary for the movie.

FINAL ANALYSIS:   THE INTERPRETER is a solid thriller with a bad ending.  The DVD has solid features and good video (and audio).

this DVD Review is (c)10-10-2005 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com and look for additional content at http://www.livejournal.com/users/enterlinemedia