What I learned from The International?
1) Banks are evil
They do not care who they do business with, as long as they can controll the debt. That includes organized crime, established first world governments, dictators, rebel forces, or whoever.
2) Interpol is powerless
Clive Owen never carried a gun and was never allowed to arrest anyone. For almost the entire film he was escorted by local police or federal agents.
3) Clive Owen wasted his time
At the end Clive Owen goes rouge to get his justice, and even though he succeeds, he fails as well, because the big picture can't be stopped. Yet, Naomi Watts stays on the straight and narrow and eventually gets someone to back her case. Would it have happened without Clive Owen going rouge? Maybe, maybe not.
4) Banks are stupid
The bank has supreme power that doesn’t mind to get dirty. They kill people who get in their way including Interpol agents, yet they let Clive Owen live his life unfettered. Only towards the end of the movie do they attempt to assassinate him.
So bottom line:
It’s long and borders on the line of boring and enjoyable. The shoot out scene in the Guggenheim is interesting and certainly a breath of fresh care compared to your standard warehouse, but it gets old after the first couple of minutes.
*1/2