The International is an upcoming American action-drama film directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. The film follows a pair that investigates corruption within a banking institution. Production began in Berlin in September 2007. The International is slated to be released in North America on February 13, 2009. The film will open the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival on February 5.

The International movie poster

Plot

Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) are determined to bring to justice one of the world’s most powerful banks. Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman’s investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to New York City to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, the bank will stop at nothing to stop them. Pre-release trailers indicate that a source for the drama may be found in the quasi-historical corporate entity known as Permindex.

Cast

• Clive Owen as Louis Salinger, an obsessive Interpol agent.
• Naomi Watts as Eleanor Whitman, a Manhattan assistant district attorney.
• Ulrich Thomsen as an investment banker who gets involved in an arms-dealing ring.