The Interpreter
Universal Pictures | Release Date: April 22, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 41 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
16
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Very much a '70s-style paranoid thriller, with a mood, tone and cascade of plot twists that are highly reminiscent of his 1975 classic, "Three Days of the Condor." Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Thrillers don't get much smarter than The Interpreter. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
As beautifully designed, swift and sleek as a classic sports car, throbbing with emotion and intelligence, it's a neat suspense film that's also dramatically and sociologically potent, with two supremely talented stars, Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, delivering beyond the emotional call of duty. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
An elegant adventure of a different kind. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Coolly absorbing without being pulse-quickening. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The Interpreter bristles with the smart, steadily engrossing tension that marked such 1970s goodies as "All the President's Men," "The Parallax View" and Pollack's own "Three Days of the Condor." Read full review
75
PremierePeter Debruge
Slick, well-acted, and smarter than it has to be. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A swiftly told, smartly acted yarn, and it even has an idea or two on its mind. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Watching these coolly precise, methodical actors spar with each other at the top of their game is half the show. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
An intelligent, old-fashioned nail-biter. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A cut above the average politically-based thriller. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
What I admire most about the film is the way it enters the terms of this world -- of international politics, security procedures, shifting motives -- and observes the details of all-night stakeouts, shop talk, and interlocking motives and strategies. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A suspense thriller of rare intelligence. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The movie's main strengths are its use of the real United Nations as its prime location and Pollack's ability to stud this movie (as he also did "The Firm") with players who do supporting-character equivalents of star turns. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
The Kidman character is an exotic--and even unlikely--creature, usefully fueling Penn's annoyed but fascinated incredulity. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Yes, this could be a better film, but the good qualities it does have are rare enough to hold our interest on screen and off. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
In the absence of internal logic, external style and emotional intelligence carry the day.
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
As a straight-ahead thriller, the movie is enjoyable and stirring much of the time. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Ken Tucker
Penn is terrific in his low-key doggedness. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Made with an intelligence and craft that's increasingly rare in Hollywood thrillers. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The Interpreter is ultimately fluent in many things, but an out-and-out thriller it is not. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's a thriller, and a large one, and it's got a couple of terrific performers in the center. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
An old-fashioned suspense drama with an old-fashioned belief at its core: Justice can be done in the world, and the United Nations is the global organization to do it. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
With major stars, a name director and grown-up subject matter, this middling drama is less a movie to recommend with vigor than to covet on general principles. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
But at the risk of sounding ungrateful, Sydney Pollack's latest film should have been a lot better. Read full review
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