I feel like in a lot of sci-fi and action movies that are produced outside of the US mention Interpol a ton and in the US we really don't seem to care about them unless they're mentioning a terrorist that we're interested in on their most wanted list.
INTERPOL is taken seriously because it has almost limitless jurisdiction, it is not dissimilar to the EUROPOL in that it uses the borderless clause of the EU to full effect. This, combined with the required surrendering of passports for anyone staying as a guest at a hotel (in the Eurozone), make INTERPOL a force capable of rapidly closing in on fugitives and restricting their movement and ability to find shelter.
The reason the US has little need to care about them is because they have zero jurisdiction. The best comparison I can make for an American is that INTERPOL is like the FBI; but of the entire Eurozone. Just as FBI jurisdiction is not restricted by petty state and county boundaries in the pursuit of a fugitive, neither is INTERPOL's for its pursuit of fugitives across European borders. It was the best measure to prevent criminals from using the free-travel within Europe to elude more 'national' police.