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Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christian, Yvan Attal, Earl Cameron, Michael Wright

A clever and stylish thriller “The Interpreter” had too many translators creating confusion worthy of the Tower of Babel. While the film works well during its first quarter the pacing sags midway through and Pollack’s film tries to sprint to the finish line. Unfortunately the film never does recover from the bloated midsection and the film’s conclusion doesn’t quite payoff. A story of deceit and intrigue under the direction of Sydney Pollack “The Interpreter” does attempt to recall the glory days of Pollack’s “Three Days of the Condor” but lacks the strong payoff necessary for this film to truly shine. As always Pollack focuses as much on weaving the strands of this political thriller as he does on creating memorable characters. Th appealing performances of the leads helps off set the issues with the story. ***

Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) works as an interpreter at the United Nations. When she believes she accidentally hears the details of a conspiracy to murder one of the delegates Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) a US Secret Service agent is assigned to her as protection. As Keller investigates the web of intrigue surrounding Broome he becomes convinced that she’s someone involved in the assassination plot. ---

“The Interpreter” translates very well to DVD with crisp, sharp images and robust colors. There’s little in the way of digital flaws such as edge enhancement to mar the marvelous picture of this terrific transfer. The 5.1 soundtracks utilizes the format to its full effect placing viewers smack dab in the middle of the action with plenty of activity in the surround speakers beyond the usual sound effects.

Pollack’s film comes loaded with extras. A marvelous featurette “Sydney Pollack at Work: From Concept to Cutting Room” provides insight into the working methods of Pollack as a director. “Interpreting Pan & Scan Vs. Widescreen” contrasts the two formats the film is presented in showing how technicians (and Pollack) try to keep to translate a widescreen feature to another format without losing the important visual elements that make a film like this click. “The Ultimate Movie Set” The United Nations” highlights the fact that this was the first film ever shot in the United Nations. “A Day in the Life of Real Interpreters” provides a touch of reality outside of political thriller fantasies about the difficulties in making sure information is accurately presented to representatives from other nations. We also get a couple of deleted scenes and n alternate ending that is a variation on the original ending but adds nothing to the story and dilutes the impact of the film even further. ---

Although it’s far from the glory days of his classic thrillers like “Three Days of the Condor”, “The Interpreter” has a great concept but had too many cooks working in the kitchen. The thrills and chills that should make this thriller hum like a race car are diluted by the trio of screenwriters. It’s a mildly diverting thriller that will keep you entertained but can’t possibly measure up to Pollack’s best work.