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Interview review
:. Director: Steve Buscemi
:. Starring: Steve Buscemi, Sienna Miller
:. Running Time: 1:23
:. Year: 2007
:. Country: USA
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Fans who watch Steve Buscemi in bad films only to be able to catch a glimpse of that face will rejoice in Interview, a sneaky cat and mouse game between a washed up political reporter and an actress (Sienna Miller- Factory Girl) with more than a few cards up her sleeve.
Originally a work by Theo Van Gogh (who was murdered by an extremist in 2004), Interview is a remake of his work, set in New York. Before his death Van Gogh had decided to remake three of his films in English; in a tribute to him Buscemi worked with some of his original crew to make the low budget, high end character study. John Turturro and Stanley Tucci have signed on for the next two films in the trilogy.
Pierre (Steve Buscemi) has been sent to interview Katya, a B-actress known more for her affairs than for her acting chops. Feeling superior to his subject and angered at being kept waiting at a chic restaurant, Pierre is rude and doesn't disguise the fact that he hasn't seen any of her films, let alone read up on her bio. Katya, understandably miffed, ends the interview before the first glass of wine is finished. After he gets into a car accident for which Katya is inadvertently responsible, she invites him up to her loft. That's where the tables turn and the real interviews begin.
Alcohol and cocaine make opening up to each other —and the cameras— easier, and before long revealing confessions, matching wits, sexual desire and angry spats fill the screen. But we know this is about celebrity, media and decanted versions of truth— and that there will be a winner and there will be a loser. What they reveal and how they deceive doesn't mean we can underestimate who will emerge the victor until the end.
Buscemi is harder, wearier than in previous films. Just when you feel some sort of empathy for him, his arrogance cuts it short. Sienna Miller is a burst of energy. Intelligent and bratty, her performance is taut-she's wired and walking on a wire. Katya knows she's not famous yet for being a great actress, but in her mind she has mapped out her path. Both characters are imminently believable though some of their confessions seem highly implausible-though it all gels together well by the end.
Two notable performances, a mature script and a fascinating subject matter in an age where we know more about Paris Hilton than Iraq render this film relevant. A sleek soundtrack rounds off the success. Interview is a stirring tribute by two of the most interesting actors working today.
Anji Milanovic
 Movie Reviews since 2012
Reviews since 2012
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