Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Sep 23, 2026

The plot of 'The Interpreter' is plenty clever (though Pollack telegraphs the twist early on) and Pollack hasn’t lost his touch at crafting a tense, grown-up thriller. What’s missing is a sense of complexity.

Go to Full Review

Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News Nov 18, 2019

Despite a script that at times seems a little too pretentious, The Interpreter benefits from strong work by Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn and a great sequence that is as tense as any in recent memory.

Go to Full Review

Joshua Starnes ComingSoon.net Mar 27, 2011 5/10

As a character drama about dealing with violence and loss, The Interpreter is a quiet success. Unfortunately, it's a thriller, and all of the qualities that make it a successful character study rob it of the tension a thriller needs to succeed.

Go to Full Review

Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Apr 18, 2009 B

Much ballyhooed for its on-location filming in and around the United Nations building in Manhattan "The Interpreter" works better as a captivating drama than it does as an espionage thriller due to some sticking plot points that prevent the audience from

Go to Full Review

Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Aug 7, 2008 2/5

Go to Full Review

Jamie Russell Film4 May 27, 2008

It's a dumb movie masquerading as smart but failing miserably.

Go to Full Review

Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Sep 24, 2007 C

High-class to a fault, and well-cast in every supporting role ... nevertheless burns with a very low flame.

Go to Full Review

Joe Lozito Big Picture Big Sound Jul 14, 2007 3/4

It may not be a perfect film, but it's just nice to see a master at work.

Go to Full Review

Prairie Miller Long Island Press Jun 2, 2007

Now we know actors are just that, but it's a little hard to suspend disbelief and buy Sean as a government agent out to foil an assassination plot, when just a few months ago he was out to assassinate Richard Nixon on screen.

Go to Full Review

Joseph Proimakis Movies for the Masses Oct 3, 2006 3.5/5

full review in Greek

Go to Full Review

Peter T. Chattaway Christianity Today Sep 25, 2006 2/4

The problem with all this sneaking around is that it is rarely ever all that suspenseful.

Go to Full Review

Ken Tucker New York Magazine/Vulture May 12, 2006

Penn is terrific in his low-key doggedness.

Go to Full Review

Ian Nathan Empire Magazine Apr 1, 2006 3/5

Solid, mature and finely acted, but intermittently daft.

Go to Full Review

Dave Calhoun Time Out Feb 9, 2006

This is largely a competent, successful thriller, but observing global politics from this perspective is an uncomfortable, frustrating experience.

Go to Full Review

Pete Vonder Haar Film Threat Dec 6, 2005 3/5

Nothing about The Interpreter strikes us as very original.

Go to Full Review

Rick Kisonak Film Threat Dec 6, 2005 3/5

Not a great movie but a nice time and a welcome break from the season's nonstop torrent of interchangeable horror films and Ashton Kutcher comedies.

Go to Full Review

Christopher Smith Bangor Daily News (Maine) Nov 18, 2005 B+

A tense, satisfying thriller.

Go to Full Review

Dragan Antulov Draxblog Movie Reviews Oct 25, 2005 4/10

a film that made their authors feel good, while denying the same experience to the audience

Go to Full Review

Forrest Hartman Reno Gazette-Journal Oct 7, 2005 C+

The complicated plotting gets increasingly ridiculous as the picture nears conclusion.

Go to Full Review

Scott Tobias AV Club Sep 26, 2005

The film's themes are disappointingly vague and unspecific, built around a fictitious African country that stands for anywhere -- and consequently nowhere.

Go to Full Review