The Interview

Dan Sterling’s screenplay began with an invented dictator in an invented country; studio executives asked him to point it at a real name. The first target was Kim Jong Il, and after his 2011 death the son took the slot. What reaches the screen is a comic invention wearing a real name, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg built their Pyongyang in Vancouver. The leaked Sony emails show the death scene being dialled back. Writing to Amy Pascal, Rogen promised to cut three of the four burn marks on the face and halve the flaming hair. What you watch is the negotiated version. The order gets garbled. On 16 December 2014 came a threat aimed at cinemas; on 17 December AMC, Cinemark, Cineplex, Regal and Carmike pulled out and Sony cancelled the wide opening. A limited run was announced on 23 December, it went digital on 24 December through Google Play, Xbox Video and YouTube, and opened in 331 cinemas on 25 December. By the studio’s own count it drew more than 5.8 million rentals and purchases by 18 January. A good fit if you want to watch knowing the execution scene is the version bargained down by email. Not for anyone wanting satire pointed at policy; the engine is celebrity interviewing and the dictator arrives as a fan.