Clive Owen is one of those rare actors who almost always makes good, interesting films. I’m hard-pressed to think of one Clive Owen film where it seemed like he was phoning it in (alright, maybe Derailed). So with that in mind, imagine a Clive Owen film where he runs around fighting international crime in the forms of gun-runners and *cue dramatic music* white-collar crooks. Thus, The International, a film directed by Tom Tykwer and co-starring Naomi Watts. The International will be the opening film of the Berlin Film Festival, which begins February 5.

Tom Tykwer’s “The International,” an action thriller starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, will open the 59th Berlin International Film Festival on February 5.

Screening out of competition, the feature will be Tykwer’s second Berlinale opening, following “Heaven,” which bowed at the 2002 event.

But unlike “Heaven,” which was an art-house film more along the lines of Tykwer’s “Winter Sleepers” (1997) or “The Princess and the Warrior” (2000), “The International” marks the German director’s jump into the major leagues.

The director of indie hit “Run, Lola, Run” (1998) proved he could handle a big budget with his last picture, the opulent olfactory epic “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (2006). But “The International” is Tywker’s first film with a U.S. studio. Sony co-produced with Germany’s Studio Babelsberg and will release the film in Germany February 12 and stateside, via Columbia Pictures, February 13.

“The International” is Tywker’s first film with a U.S. studio. Sony co-produced with Germany’s Studio Babelsberg and will release the film in Germany February 12 and stateside, via Columbia Pictures, February 13.

“The International” is also Tykwer’s first all-out action movie. The conspiracy thriller follows Owen as an Interpol agent who discovers that the world’s largest bank is secretly engaging in money laundering and illegal arms trading. Watts co-stars as a Manhattan assistant district attorney who joins Owen on his race around the world to bring those responsible to justice.

The film was shot largely in Berlin and Studio Babelsberg with location work in New York, Istanbul and Milan.

The 59th Berlinale runs February 5-15, 2009.

[From Reuters]

Honestly, just from reading the description, it sounds a lot like Owen’s next film, Duplicity, starring Julia Roberts. That one involves white-collar crimes and, evidently, a big Pretty Woman-grin. But I saw the trailer for it, and Clive is shirtless at one point. *swoon*

In other Clive Owen news, there seems to be progress on Sin City 2, according to Frank Miller and the fanboy rantings on such sites as “Geeks of Doom” (I kid you not). From what I could tell of the rantings of the fanboys, everyone involved with the would-be project wants Owen in it. Production could be starting in the spring.

Frank Miller is also a huge fan of Clive Owen. Check out what he said about Clive at the London premiere of The Spirit:

Looking towards his [Miller’s] rumoured Raymond Chandler adaptation, Trouble Is My Business, he could only commit: “We’re talking it over.” However, when asked about Clive Owen, who is rumoured star in the film as detective Philip Marlowe, Miller said he would be his leading man “in almost anything I can imagine. He has a manliness which is largely lacking in Hollywood, and a sense of humour that’s unstoppable.”

[From EmpireOnline.com]

Someone’s got themselves a man-crush, don’t they? Frank and Clive, sitting in a tree, K-I-S– Back off, Frank Miller, he’s mine!

Here’s the trailer for The International

Clive Owen is shown filming Duplicity with Julia Roberts on 4/14/08. Credit: PRPhotos. He is also shown in a more recent photo, credit below