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The Translators

2019 1h 45m Mystery & Thriller Drama List
71% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Nine translators hired to work on a top-secret manuscript soon find themselves inside a living nightmare when the first 10 pages of the book mysteriously appear online.

Critics Reviews

View All (17) Critics Reviews
Jordan Mintzer Hollywood Reporter What could have been a dull and very French lecture in modern linguistics becomes a high-stakes whodunit where the usual suspects are not your typical movie culprits. Jan 30, 2020 Full Review Hannah Brown Jerusalem Post While it may not be especially plausible, it is a twist-filled mystery about a group of translators tasked with rendering the final volume of a best-selling French trilogy into their native languages, and it's delicious fun. Dec 9, 2021 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Whilst it does get a little too convoluted for its own good at times, The Translators is a taut and entertaining mystery thriller. Mar 26, 2021 Full Review Miguel Romero Fernández Cinemanía (Spain) The whodunit holds our attention at all times in the search for the culprit. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 16, 2021 Full Review Rachael Mead Square Eyes The Translators is a thrilling ride which will satisfy lovers of this genre as well as audiences who appreciate a good bookish mystery. Nov 6, 2020 Full Review Matthew Toomey ABC Radio (Australia) Every few weeks, we have a film that sounds great on paper but can't quite deliver on its lofty ambitions. The Translators is the latest example - a watchable movie that comes with a few flaws. Rated: B Oct 29, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
Justin C Highly enjoyable. I had a blast watching this huis clos pressure cooker - it's like the Millenium trilogy wrote a parody of itself (and the publishing industry) while high on an Agatha Christie binge. If you can find joy from a tightly wound paperback mystery, or from a campy Bond or Sherlock vehicle, this is the Wednesday night movie for you. Beyond the adrenaline and the irony, the emotional core of this movie is a love letter to translators, fan writers, teachers, and others who create deep cerebral and emotional connections with popular media. Highlights: Lambert Wilson's punchable narcissist boss, the perfectly timed heist scenes, the supporting actors really squeezing every drop of juice out of a small part. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/01/23 Full Review samuel d This is by far my favourite film - cerebral, a slow burn, with more twists than a chinese burn! I loved how intense and warped the plot is and the exploitation of opposing characters to create an interesting set of dynamics that ultimately sets a tone and pace of film like no other. Difficult to put into words the magnitude of this piece - a must watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Idea interessante, con attori da ogni parte d'Europa in un contesto che diventa quasi di sopravvivenza, nell'attesa di scoprire chi di loro è il "colpevole". Purtroppo la trama finisce per prendere una piega differente, nel momento in cui si scopre quali sono i colpevoli, e da quel momento iniziano una serie di colpi di scena altamente improbabili che finiscono col far diventare il protagonista una specie di supereroe, scrittore di fama mondiale, hacker ed infallibile calcolatore. Viste le premesse era meglio continuare su qualcosa di più simile ad un romanzo di Agatha Christie. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review farah r A compelling mystery with unexpected twists, The Translators is worth watching if only to pass time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member très bon film, m'a fait pensé à l'orient express, je suis fasciné par les langues et ce film m'a montré une toute autre facette du langage et de la compréhension. Serions-nous prêt à tuer pour pouvoir comprendre ? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A film trying to voice for the translators, however, it is badly done. Too many logical bugs. (Spoiler alert)  It doesn't make any sense for a writer to be angry with the success of his books. And comparing to the sweat-shops of most of the big companies like H&M, Nike and Apple, I don't see why free luxury food and accommodation plus an open office are considered "animal condition", they can even use internet upstairs after work. They are obviously well paid for the job, otherwise the translators won't fly all the way to France for it. And for a multi-million net worth publisher, it's not worth the risks of murder and massive lawsuits just for a book. There are always lots of people who are willing to pay for books, especially the genuine fans. Most roles are acting weird just for the sake of creating a thriller atmosphere. It's just a job. Normal people will not attack other people and act like they could be killed by each other. Any why did the Chinese guy put up an usb disk if he had read the whole book? Why would the Russian woman risk a huge fine and lawsuit in a foreign country to steal the book, knowing she will get it within a month? And also, I believe the woman who killed herself could have sued the publisher for lots of money, as he had no right to burn her work. And why did she kill herself? She said writing a book was to please other people, she just wanted to travel and see the world. Divorce supposed to be the best option... I also want to see the world, and this thought got me through my worst depression and I won't kill myself without seeing the world. Security guys, seriously? You are hired security staff from a third party company. not mafia members. Most of those people retired from police and military force. They watched their boss threatening to kill everyone with a gun and they were helping? And they need to wait for an order to call the ambulance? The boss shot two people, and they just quit and left? Also, we don't need a spoiler of Murder on the Orient Express as hint... And I don't see why the writer has to involve all these people for a fake stealing action. The screenwriter of this movie is obviously an idealistic left wing who probably never set foot in developing countries. The movie has all the "politically correct" propagandas and stereotypes for other countries. Greece has tax-evasion, China has no freedom etc. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook are all manipulating their traffic and interfere with elections and politics, and Greece now have very strict tax systems. I can only understand if the screenwriter is in his/her 20s, as it is just too naïve to see the world simple as this. Anyway... I think this movie was trying to copy the success of those Spanish thrillers, but failed. French movies are good at touching narratives of life and love. Stick to what you are good at. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Translators

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Nine translators hired to work on a top-secret manuscript soon find themselves inside a living nightmare when the first 10 pages of the book mysteriously appear online.
Director
Régis Roinsard
Producer
Alain Attal
Screenwriter
Romain Compingt, Daniel Presley, Régis Roinsard
Production Co
Trésor Films, Mars Films, Wild Bunch
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Runtime
1h 45m