International Intrigue

A busy Friday refused to allow enough time for a post. We packed up the mini-van (Can't believe I'm saying that) and headed out for our first family day trip. It was smashing success but we were all beat once we got home. I'll take some time and give a review or two on the festivities but in the meantime you can check the sites of both places we visited. First we drove up Rt.222 to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in scenic Quarryville, PA to visit Nina and Jerry who are working and staying on the site. Very nice setup with plenty of amenities and a rockin' water park. I'm sure we will visit a few times more. Next we drove a bit further (a nasty detour made it much longer) into Lancaster to grab dinner at the Lancaster Brewing Company. Good food and even better beers.

Note to self. I had a different idea of what Lancaster would be like and I was surprised not see Amish on every corner. It had a decidedly different feel to it, sort of like Erie/Philly rolled together.

More on that later.

The International (2008) is a thriller done in the style of 70's crime dramas like the French Connection with the script being heavy on the drama and not enough on the action. Although the action scenes they do have are on a grand scale and memorable. The gun battle at New York's Guggenheim was the best part of the picture.

Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and New York Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) team up to expose a global financial institution's money laundering, arms dealing and other illegal rackets. The pair races all over the world from Milan to NYC (Guess it would have to be called the Regional if it didn't) trying to stop the nefarious IBBC Bank from dealing weapons to third world nations.

I normally like Owen but I think his silted performance is due to lack of development of his character in the script. So its not totally his fault. Salinger is a former member of the Yard and his one track mind focus on bringing down the bank is only attributed to the fact that this has happened before to him and it lead him to the crummy Interpol job.

Watts is pretty standard in her role as a tough D.A. who really isn't that tough when you deal with multi-national corporations dealing arms.

Throw in some exotic locales and some intrigue and you have a mystery. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a Jason Bourne movie though. If you want that type of action rent one of those instead.

(6.0)