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INTERVIEW The true worth of Interview, a remake of a 2003 Dutch film by the late Theo van Gogh (murdered by a Muslim extremist in 2004), rests in its appeal as an actors' showcase. Take the screenplay, highlight a couple of the more emotionally volatile passages, include them in one of those books with titles like Scenes For Two Actors, and -- voila! -- instant gratification for theater majors on college campuses across the nation. Beyond its potential in print, however, there's very little that's memorable about Interview, which seeks to explore the strained relationship between the media and the celebrity set yet does so in a manner that's overreaching and unconvincing. Steve Buscemi (who also directed and co-wrote the adaptation with David Schechter) plays Pierre Peders, a political correspondent who's outraged that he's asked to do an interview with Katya (Sienna Miller), a B-movie actress and soap opera star known more for her off-screen exploits than her choice of roles. The pair immediately dislike each other, but as the night wears on, both begin to relax and open up to each other. Or do they? There's a measure of truth in the hostility that erupts between the journalist, who views his subject with contempt, and the star, who's angered when she feels that the line between expected media exposure and her right to privacy gets crossed. But despite fine performances by both leads, the film works better in concept than execution, with lapses in logic and a denouement that's not too hard to sniff out. Even at a brief 84 minutes, you'll be glad when this Interview's over. **
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH Writer-director Paul Haggis will forever be lambasted in many circles because Crash unfairly shanghaied Brokeback Mountain at the Oscars. But those quick to write him off as a pandering huckster tend to forget that he also penned the exquisite screenplays to two Clint Eastwood triumphs, Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima. It's that Paul Haggis who shows up with this powerful drama that employs a murder-mystery template to camouflage what ultimately proves to be the picture's true intent: Examine the repercussions of war on the psyches of the youngsters we ask (or order) to defend us in battle. Tommy Lee Jones, in a superlative performance, stars as Hank Deerfield, a retired officer trying to find out why his son went AWOL upon returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. Once it's ascertained that the boy was murdered, the morose father teams up with an equally glum detective (Charlize Theron) to solve the case. On its own terms, the mystery is presented in a satisfying matter, and only those expecting an elaborate Agatha Christie-style unmasking of the killer will be disappointed in this aspect of the story, which wraps up well before the actual movie does. Clearly, Haggis' main story is about the toll that the Iraq War -- and, by extension, all battles, especially those (like Iraq) created for bogus reasons -- takes not only on the soldiers sent to participate in the bloodshed but also on their families and friends. The film attempts to depict the manner in which the specter of war can follow a soldier back to civilization and inform every subsequent decision and action, and Haggis should be saluted for taking this angle further than most. ***1/2
THE KINGDOM Overshadowed by another current movie focusing on Middle Eastern tensions (In the Valley of Elah), this is basically a Rambo retread outfitted with a thin veneer of topical import. Director Peter Berg appears to be an American apologist at heart, which may explain why, after a fascinating title sequence illustrating the United States' complicated ties to Saudi Arabia (and, of course, its riches), the movie quickly devolves into a standard us-against-them revenge flick. The film opens with a shocking sequence in which a base for American families in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is destroyed by terrorists, thereby prompting a group of elite FBI agents to undergo a secret mission to find the culprits once the Saudi and U.S. governments both balk at creating an international incident. The four agents (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) are devoid of much in the way of personality, but that's OK: Their only purpose in this story is to kill Middle Easterners. Lots of them. The message of this 110-minute movie is revealed in its very last line, meaning it arrives about 100 minutes too late. Because of this lack of clear intent, the picture has no choice except to work as a visual and aural assault on our senses. In that respect, it succeeds in much the same way as The Brave One, as a cathartic palate cleanser that allows us to watch bad guys plowed down without sullying our own hands. There's a sympathetic Saudi officer (Ashraf Barhoum, very good) who, by providing the few moments of warmth, might diffuse arguments that Berg's movie isn't anti-terrorist but anti-Middle East -- a huge difference, for those who didn't realize. **1/2