The International (R, 2009)

Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), The International is a throwback to '70s thrillers like Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View -- mean, methodically made movies with a strong cynical streak and no built-in guarantee that good will triumph over evil.

And yet you do find yourself a little torn watching The International; much like Michael Clayton, it's a film that promises rock-'em-sock-'em thrills in the trailer and ad campaign and then provides a much more dramatic, disquieting experience. But unlike Michael Clayton, The International never quite catches -- in part thanks to a gripping action sequence set at the Guggenheim in New York that makes everything else feel a little anticlimactic. Still, cynical, conspiracy-minded, and refreshingly down-to-the-ground, The International has a moral and intellectual backbone that elevates it far above most modern thrillers.