The International (2009)

The International is a 2009 action thriller film directed by Tom Tykwer and written by Eric Warren Singer. Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, the film follows an Interpol agent and an American district attorney who jointly investigate corruption within the IBBC, a fictional merchant bank based in Luxembourg. It serves organized crime and corrupt governments as a banker and as an arms broker. The bank's ruthless managers assassinate potential threats, including their own employees.

Inspired by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal of the 1980s, the film raises concerns about how global finance affects international politics across the world. Production began in Berlin in September 2008, including the construction of a life-size replica of New York's Guggenheim Museum for the film's central shootout scene.

The International opened the 59th Berlin International Film Festival on 5 February 2009, and was released in Germany on 12 February and in the United States the following day. It received mixed reviews from critics, with the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus being "The International boasts some electric action sequences and picturesque locales, but is undone by its preposterous plot". The film grossed $60 million on a budget of $50M.