The Interpreter

"The truth needs no translation."

2005 2h 8m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 1,655

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to investigate.

“The truth needs no translation.”

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Cast

Nicole Kidman
Silvia Broome
Sean Penn
Tobin Keller
Catherine Keener
Dot Woods
Jesper Christensen
Nils Lud
Yvan Attal
Philippe
Earl Cameron
Zuwanie
George Harris
Kuman-Kuman
Michael Wright
Marcus

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sydney Pollack
Writers: Martin Stellman, Brian Ward, Charles Randolph
Languages: French, English, Portuguese
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

236+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sydney Pollack, shot by Darius Khondji. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Steinkamp shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sydney Pollack directs. Darius Khondji behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. William Steinkamp cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, Portuguese.
4International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.
5236+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Sydney Pollack, shot by Darius Khondji. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor William Steinkamp shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn and Catherine Keener carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The truth needs no translation.".
11IMDB entry: tt0373926 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "destruction of a civilization", "new york city", "assassination", "dictator".
13Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Darius Khondji
Original score: James Newton Howard
Editing: William Steinkamp
Production design: Jon Hutman
Costume design: Sarah Edwards
Makeup / hair: Felice Diamond
VFX supervisor: Thad Beier
Sound: Michael Keller
Stunt coordinator: Jery Hewitt
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $162,944,923
Return: 204% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Interpreter (2005)

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Sydney Pollack

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What people are saying

kendallgibson2026-09-01
★ 5/10
Why is it that every movie about a corrupt African dictator has to have a made up African country? Anyway, this particular film is a bit of a snoozefest. Sean Penn is a secret service agent in charge of keeping Nicole Kidman safe from the opposite of Wakanda -- however, is the opposite of Wakanda safe from Nicole Kidman...? This movie was shot juuust before the iPhone came out, so if you are looking for a time capsule of New York City around that time then I guess this fits the bill. At one point, Kidman glances longingly at a flute, and I had the thought that it would be awesome if there was a melodramatic flute interlude... and then there was one! Another brief taste of passability comes when Penn and his agents set up shop in an apartment directly across from Kidman's -- what was she doing with the curtains open in the first place? The best use for a copy of this film is to give it as a Secret Santa gift to some loser who wants to work for the UN, because God knows they can use all the help they can get...

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