Rated: 3 out of 5

Synopsis: This international thriller follows the lives of U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome, played by Kidman, and federal agent Tobin Keller, played by Penn. After overhearing information about a murder plot at the United Nations, Broome becomes the prey of some international hunters. She is placed under the protection of Keller and the two begin to unravel the mystery together.

Featurettes: The featurettes are really where this DVD hits its stride. There are four behind-the-scenes features that actually give more depth to the movie.

The first two feature Pollack discussing the process by which he turned the idea into a full-length feature. The first one is a standard behind-the-scenes showing Pollack behind the lens and working intimately with his cast. The second is Pollack discussing his decision to shoot the movie in widescreen instead of fullscreen. It may sound boring, but he actually makes the debate interesting and appealing to the common person.

The second batch of featurettes focuses more exclusively on the United Nations. The first highlights the challenges the crew had getting permission to shoot inside the actual U.N. building in New York City and how they managed to shoot around the hectic meeting schedule of the delegates. The last thing is a feature on the real-life interpreters who work at the United Nations. The feature interviews several real-life interpreters who walk the viewers through their day-to-day lives.

Deleted Scenes: The DVD has a short reel of four deleted scenes that make their own case as to why they ended up on the cutting room floor. They really add nothing to the film and are so short they are almost irrelevant.

Alternate Ending: The alternate ending is always a fun feature and the DVD gets points for having one. This particular ending is nothing incredibly shocking or exciting, but it is nice to see where the film might have ended if circumstances had been different. It also gives viewers the ability to be Roger Ebert and critique the director’s decision to use the final ending.

Commentary: The commentary is only offered with the film’s director, Sydney Pollack. Pollack obviously cared a lot about the project and has a lot of insight to share, but two hours of one man talking is too much – they should have dug somebody, anybody, up to help him with the commentary. That way it could have felt more like a conversation than a one-way monotonous monologue.

Overall: The DVD should get credit for having extras that actually contribute to some greater understanding of the movie from both a technical and realistic standpoint. It’s not the best set of extras ever, but you might actually find yourself watching them even if you typically skip extras.

– Dante Sacomani