I know that Flightmapping.com’s prime purpose is dealing with flights, but we’ve always had a strong interest in visiting movie locations, especially on films when a lot of travelling is involved. When it comes to showcasing impressive architecture, the Bond franchise is often top draw, but I’ve never seen a film quite like The Internation, currently in cinemas across the UK. Much as I enjoyed the plot (I’m really not getting into that here, that’s well out of our territory), I couldn’t help but sit in awe at the architectural concert that served as both the backdrop and a major star of this film from start to finish.

Berlin

The opening anthem was the scene outside Berlin’s shiny new Hauptbanhof (central station) — perhaps my only complaint here was that they did not go inside — with two decks of track crossing each other, glass lifts and escalators-a-plenty, this would have been an ideal chase location.

We were then served up offices of ‘The International’ (Bank of Business and Credit), which was supposed to be in Luxembourg, but I would suspect was somewhere around Treptower in Berlin. Other Berlin locations used in the film included Daniel Liebskind’s Jewish Museum, whereas additional scenes are filmed in the VW Autocity (Autostadt) in Wolfsburg [how to get there].

Milan

Action then moves on to Milan, featuring a predictable choice of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and a much more interesting assassination scene (won’t say who) in the square outside Milan Centrale station, which is also flanked by the Pirelli Tower.

New York

The chase for intelligence then moves to New York, leading up to a grand finale shootout inside a replica of Frank Lloyd Wright’s original Guggenheim Museum. This made use of interactive (and translucent) exhibits on display at the museum, together with embedding bullets all over the spiral stair case and full-scale destruction of the internal roof.

Istanbul

For the encore, were taken first to the shores of Lake Garda, where digital effects superimpose Zaha Hadid’s Phaeno Science Centre (also in Wolfsburg) onto the stunning backdrop of a lakeside setting. The second encore takes us through the streets and bazaar of Istanbul, through the courtyard of the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque, and onto rooftops overlooking the Bosphorus, where the film ends.

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I’ve tried to be as accurate as possible with these, but if you have any corrections, please let me know below.