This film could be viewed as having a leftist slant, if one does not recall that communism set out to crush the industrialists, not banking, and that all forms of crime—most obviously the operation of the protection rackets known as States or governments—are compatible with international banking. The theme is that the generation of debt is the key to both wealth and power and that justice is merely an illusion to blind the morally functioning masses to the fact that they are merely beasts being farmed by an evolving abstraction manned by a parade of sold souls.

Clive Owen plays an Interpol agent trying to bust a Belgian bank. The bank employs an interesting assassin and also an advisor played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, who owns most of the ten best lines in the movie, some of which are quoted below:

“When the lion kills it is the jackal that profits.”

“A man can meet his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”

“…[how to] navigate within the black and gray latitudes.”

“Justice is an illusion.”

“…[between] you and the man you wanted to be.”

The old guy even paraphrases Mark Twain’s famous quip that though life did not “make sense” “fiction has to.”

The counter-theme of The International is one of heroic redemption which does take a surreal man-pause in a Manhattan setting as hipsters [including potential sexual property and worthless faɡɡots] cringe, cower and whimper during an invigorating blood-letting.

Some of the mechanics of international skullduggery [like the above mentioned shootout] are overdone. However, the morality, dialogue and narrative of the tale are scrupulously true to vile life.

Oh, the Naomi Watts character and her man-wife are inserted to get female asses in theater seats and have no real bearing on the heroic narrative.