Grade: A-

Sydney Pollack directs and has a small part in this action-thriller that keeps you guessing. It’s a puzzle, set in the political world of the United Nations, and they actually used the real building to film in! Nicole Kidman has the title role, an interpreter from a fictitious country in South Africa who overhears an assassination threat. Sean Penn is the Secret Service agent assigned to the case. There’s no romance here, but the two characters bond over their personal grief. Catherine Keener is notable as Sean Penn’s partner. This is a smart movie, very well done, though not wholly satisfying.