The New Villain: The Big, Bad Bank

The movie reminder below was sent to us by occasional guest-poster Kelly Lynn Anders, an associate dean at Washburn, whose blurb conjures an image of smoking jacket, pipe, and really bad seduction I had forgotten. Meanwhile, I saw "Taken" last night and let me just say there is no pretense of moral ambiguity or consequences there in the effort to resist evil-doers, making the film more like one directed by John Yoo than by John Woo -- though in fact this is a Luc Besson/Pierre Morel deal. --Alan

“The International” was released yesterday, and it features an “evil” bank as the key villain. According to IMDB, the film was inspired by the BCCI (Bank of Credit & Commerce International) banking scandal, which took place throughout the ’80s and into the early ’90s. The screenplay was written by Eric Singer, who has a cameo as a cashier in the film. Naomi Watts plays Eleanor Whitman, a Manhattan District Attorney who collaborates with Interpol to “bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks.” Initially, I had this title confused with “The Continental,” Christopher Walken’s hilarious departure on SNL a few years ago about a hapless lounge lizard, but early reviews indicate that this film might be less entertaining. The NPR review is available at this link.