Interview

Interview ***

Directed by Steve Buscemi
Written by Steve Buscemi and David Schechter, based on the screenplay by Theodor Holman

Starring:
Steve Buscemi as Pierre Peters
Sienna Miller as Katya

83 Minutes(Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use. )
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Steve Buscemi's latest film "Interview" is better than his last film "Lonesome Jim." This time working on a script that he co-wrote, based on the 2003 Dutch film of the same name. "Interview" could be a play, a very enjoyable cat and mouse game of dialogue between two characters-a journalist and a movie star-so its very important that its script does a good job at holding the audiences interest. It does that and more, and "Interview" is more and more clever as every minute passes by.

"Interview" stars Buscemi as Pierre Peters, a journalist that is a little upset at his newest assignment-to interview movie star scarlet Katya. Pierre makes his disdain very clear to everybody. He would rather be covering the big political piece that is happening in Washington, and hopes to finish the interview early enough to catch a train to D.C. At the restaurant, Katya is one hour late which just makes him angrier, and the fact that he never saw one of her B-movies-horror and badly made comedy mostly-just angers her equally. She storms out, and he is more than happy to leave. And then he injures his head in a taxi accident when the driver is flirting with the angry Katya. Katya feels pity on Pierre, and has him go with her to her penthouse apartment a few blocks away where the long night begins. What follows is a night of secrets, wine, scotch, cigarettes, cocaine, betrayal, anger, flirtations, cell phones with a dog barking as a ring, and one of the most unprofessional interviews imaginable.

Now there is a minor supporting cast, including a bit by Steve Buscemi's brother, but the bulk of the film is carried by everything that Pierre and Katya say to one another. And their dialogue is quite and snappy, and their characters are both equally complex and hard to read. It becomes clear early on that you never really know if what either one of them is saying is the truth or not. Their cat and mouse game escalates into something deeper and more dangerous. And they are both trying to be true to their work-Pierre is always looking for more to the story, and Katya is always willing to act her way into people feeling sorry for her. And it isn't until the final shot when you see which one of them is the winner, because 'in life there is no equality. There is always a winner and a loser." On such a screenplay heavy film, it is important to cast the right people. And Buscemi, who is always a pleasure to watch, and Sienna Miller, who I really do like but find myself in the minority often, is a fantastic match. Since there isn't much to this play like structure, technical wise, the only thing that I had a problem with was the music. Unnecessary, the musical score that comprises of a few quirky beats just was annoying. The main song which is heard in the trailer, during a scene in the middle, and at the start of the credits is much better, and that should have been it.

It's somewhat funny, because "Interview" is a kind of cross between two other films that I have recently seen-"The Method" and "Captivity." Both of these films I gave negative reviews too, and could be found if you scroll down just a little bit-I believe the latter is directly under this one. "Captivity" featured a scarlet in the lead role, and that was done so poorly and so amateurly, even though some of the comments are exactly the same. "Interview" follows a scarlet much better-lonely despite the fame. There is a lack of talent when it comes to acting to films, even though in real life the acting comes in handy. And then there is "The Method," a film about a job interview with seven people locked in a room, playing with each others minds to see who should leave the room next. "Interview" is on a smaller scale, with more complex and deeper characters, and a little bit more to say. In "The Method" there is even a political battle going on below while "Interview" has a political conflict going on elsewhere. "Interview" is a somewhat mesh of the ideas presented in both of those films-the loneliness of an actress, and the effect that humans can have on each other when they have nothing to lose. In a brief 83 minutes, "Interview" is engaging and very enjoyable. Buscemi and Miller act very well together, and their mind games escalate in ways that you cannot imagine. Buscemi takes a simple premise and turns it into something more complex. This is some of the best work that he's ever done.