Having seen "Mystic River" recently, I was awaiting Sean Penn's next movie with great anticipation as he is one brilliant actor, and when I heard Nicole Kidman was to be his co-star, this was well worth waiting for, and both of them are superb in a very well-constructed movie, with great location shooting in New York. and in particular the United Nations building. Sydney Pollack has produced (and played a small part in it!) an excellent movie, full of intrigue with exciting music and great photography. "The Interpreter" has, by its very nature, been forced to create a new African Nation , rather than single out Zimbabwe for example, and the opening sequences set the mood for a very enthralling 2 1/4 hours. The whole cast is excellent, though made up of relative unknowns other that the two stars. I can recommend this film very highly.