The Interview, 2014 - Dave Skylark is the host of the talk show "Skylark Tonight" and will interview Kim Jong Un North Korea Supreme Leader

The Interview is a 2014 black comedy-action political satire film super interesting produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their second directorial work, following This Is the End (2013). The screenplay was written by Dan Sterling, based on a story he co-wrote with Rogen and Goldberg. The film stars Rogen and James Franco as journalists who set up an interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Randall Park), and are then recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. The film is inspired by a 2012 Vice documentary.

Rogen and Goldberg developed the idea for The Interview in the late 2000s, with Kim Jong Il as the original assassination target. In 2011, after Kim Jong Il's death and Kim Jong Un's succession as the North Korean leader, Rogen and Goldberg redeveloped the script with the focus on Kim Jong Un's character. The Interview was first announced in March 2013, at the beginning of pre-production. Principal photography was in Vancouver from October to December 2013. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures, LStar Capital and Rogen and Goldberg's Point Grey Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.

In June 2014, the North Korean government threatened action against the United States if Sony released the film. As a result, Sony delayed the release from October to December and reportedly re-edited the film to make it more acceptable to North Korea. In November, the computer systems of Sony were hacked by the "Guardians of Peace", a cybercrime group which may be connected with the North Korean government.The group also threatened terrorist attacks against theaters showing the film. This led to major theater chains opting not to release the film, and Sony instead releasing it for online digital rental and purchase on December 25, 2014, followed by a limited release at selected theaters the next day.

In December 2014, South Korean singer Yoon Mi-rae revealed that the film used her song "Pay Day" without permission, and that she was taking legal action. Yoon Mi-rae and her label Feel Good Music reached a settlement with Sony Pictures Entertainment on May 13, 2015.

The Interview grossed $40 million in digital rentals, making it Sony's most successful digital release and earned an additional $12.3 million worldwide in box office ticket sales on a $44 million budget. It received mixed reviews for its humour and subject matter, although a few critics praised the performances of Rogen, Franco, Park and Diana Bang.

Trailer

PLOT

Dave Skylark is the host of the talk show Skylark Tonight, where he interviews celebrities (including Eminem and Rob Lowe) mainly about personal topics. The broadcast is interrupted by news reports about North Korea concerning its leader Kim Jong Un and the nuclear weapons. After Skylark and his crew celebrate producer Aaron Rapaport's 1,000th episode, Rapaport is upset by a producer peer, who criticizes the show as not being a real news program. He voices his concern to Skylark, urging change. Skylark agrees and later discovers that Kim Jong Un is a fan of their show, prompting Rapaport to arrange an interview for him. Traveling to the outskirts of Dandong, China, to receive instructions from the North Korean chief propagandist Sook-yin Park, Rapaport accepts the interview on behalf of Skylark.

Following Rapaport's return, CIA agent Lacey shows up, requesting they assassinate Kim with a transdermal strip of ricin via handshake to prevent the country from launching a nuclear missile at the West Coast; they reluctantly agree. Skylark carries the strip inside a pack of gum. Upon arrival in Pyongyang, they are greeted by Sook and taken to the palace. They are introduced to Kim's personal security officers Koh and Yu who are immediately suspicious of the duo; when Koh finds the strip, he chews it, mistaking it for gum. After making a secret request for help, Lacey airdrops them two more strips via an UAV, but to get it back to their room, Rapaport has to evade a Siberian tiger and hide the container in his rectum before getting caught by security.

The next day, Skylark meets Kim and spends the day playing basketball, hanging out, riding in his personal tank and partying with escorts. Kim convinces Skylark that he is misunderstood as both a cruel dictator and a failed administrator, and they become friends. At a state dinner, Koh has a seizure from the ricin poisoning, accidentally shooting Yu before dying. The next morning, Skylark feels guilty, discarding one of the ricin strips and thwarts Rapaport's attempt to poison Kim with the second strip. After a dinner mourning the deaths of the bodyguards, Skylark witnesses Kim's malicious self as he threatens war against South Korea, the West and everyone who tries to undermine him. Skylark leaves and discovers that a nearby grocery store is fake, realizing Kim has been lying to him. At the same time, during an attempt to seduce Rapaport (who still has the ricin strip on his hand), Sook reveals she despises Kim and apologizes for defending the regime. Skylark returns and tries to get Sook's support to assassinate Kim, but she disagrees, suggesting to instead ruin his cult of personality and show the North Korean people the dire state of the country. The trio secretly devise a plan to expose him on air and arm themselves with guns. Before the broadcast begins, Kim gives Skylark a puppy as a symbol of their friendship.

During the internationally televised interview with Kim, Skylark addresses increasingly sensitive topics (including the country's food shortage and US-imposed economic sanctions) and challenges his need for his father's approval. Meanwhile, Sook and Rapaport take over the control booth to fend off Kim's guards trying to cut off the broadcast. Despite his initial resistance, Kim eventually cries uncontrollably, soiling himself after Skylark sings "Firework" by Katy Perry (knowing of Kim's fondness of her music), ruining his reputation. Enraged at Skylark's betrayal, Kim shoots him and vows to get revenge by launching the nuclear missile. Skylark, whose bulletproof vest saves him, regroups with Rapaport and Sook to escape (alongside the puppy) with the help of a guard. The trio hijacks Kim's tank to get to their pickup point, killing several more guards in the process. Kim chases the group in a helicopter but is shot down and killed by Skylark before he can issue the command to launch the missile.

With the missile launch thwarted, Sook guides Skylark and Rapaport to an escape route, explaining that she has to return to Pyongyang to maintain security. The two are later rescued by SEAL Team Six officers disguised as North Korean soldiers. Back in the US, Skylark writes a book about his experience in North Korea, Rapaport returns to work as a producer (and maintains contact with Sook via Skype), while North Korea becomes a denuclearized democracy with Sook as an interim leader.

Rating: 10 Stars