The International (2009 film)

The International
Theatrical poster
Directed byTom Tykwer
Written byEric Warren Singer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFrank Griebe
Edited byMathilde Bonnefoy
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing[1]
Release dates
  • 12 February 2009 (2009-02-12) (Germany)
  • 13 February 2009 (2009-02-13) (United States)
Running time
118 minutes[3]
Countries
Languages
Budget$50 million[5]
Box office$60.2 million[5]

The International is a 2009 action thriller film[6] directed by Tom Tykwer and written by Eric Warren Singer. Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, the film follows an Interpol agent and an American district attorney who jointly investigate corruption within the IBBC, a fictional merchant bank based in Luxembourg. It serves organized crime and corrupt governments as a banker and as an arms broker. The bank's ruthless managers assassinate potential threats, including their own employees.

Inspired by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal of the 1980s, the film raises concerns about how global finance affects international politics across the world. Production began in Berlin in September 2008, including the construction of a life-size replica of New York's Guggenheim Museum for the film's central shootout scene. The film opened the 59th Berlin International Film Festival on 5 February 2009. The Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus praised the action sequences and locations but criticized the plot.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d "The International (2009)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. ^ "The International (2009)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018.
  3. ^ "The International". British Board of Film Classification. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  4. ^ a b McCarthy, Todd (5 February 2009). "Review: "The International"". Variety. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b "The International". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  6. ^ "The International (2009) - Tom Tykwer". AllMovie.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).