"The Interpreter": not lost in translation

Prolific producer Sydney Pollack ("Cold Mountain," "The Talented Mr. Ripley") directs the new film "The Interpreter," starring previous colleagues Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, and succeeds by all accounts; the plot fascinates viewers from beginning to end, the stars both deliver amazing performances, and the film teaches viewers volumes without a hint of preaching.

Kidman is Silvia Broome, a native of Matobo, Africa who immigrated to the United States after she lost her parents and sister in a land-mine accident and could not dissuade her older brother Simon (Hugo Speer) from his pursuits as a guerrilla rebel. She became an interpreter at the United Nations bureau in New York City, believing that contributing to diplomacy was better than resorting to murder.Her past catches up to her, however, in a series of events that put her under the protection of FBI agent Tobin Keller (played by a painstakingly dramatic but perfectly balanced Sean Penn). She has overheard a vague assassination plot, and he is in charge of protecting the potential victim as well as the beautiful young interpreter who overheard the plan.

Political intrigue and emotional drama cross paths, diverge and cross paths again in this intellectual thriller meant to leave moviegoers thinking. Nothing is as it seems, and, as soon as you think you've figured it out, you learn that you're wrong.

The movie seamlessly transitions from personal scenes involving either Silvia or Tobin to scenes at the United Nations to scenes of violence in Africa and to FBI stakeouts. The film is an entire picture of an entire story, not just one facet of it.

"The Interpreter" is a fantastic watch, and though it is rated with respect to "sexual content and brief strong language," I recall none.

"The Interpreter" (128 minutes) is rated PG-13 for violence, some sexual content and brief strong language.