A Most Wanted Man (R)
15/08/14 21:28 Filed in: 2014
Starring: Grigoriy Dobrygin
August 2014
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
The book was written by John le Carre, who also penned Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which became the basis for the 2011 film of the same name.
Hoffman is being watched by the Americans. Ooo.
The news that he’s being scrutinized by the Yanks inspires such mock fear.
Evidence of torture. A horrific tableau.
I bet McAdams’ character is sorry she asked…I know I am.
The instrument is produced in order to secure a fortune.
One might say it’s the key to the whole plot.
Hoffman looses a foot race. Surprised?
Correction: loses. This one always gets me. If “lose” rhymes with “choose,” why doesn’t it have two “o”s? Darn English language.
The flat is infested with bugs.
The kind that spies use. I don’t think I’m really giving anything away since by now you realize this is a spy movie.
“Unclean money” is given to charity. Guess that redeems it.
When people talk about laundered money that means it’s clean too, right?
An audible is called...Seven Friends Shipping. Gotcha!
From this scene to the end we have ourselves a movie. Too bad the rest of the film is such a snorer.
Final analysis: a slow-boil international espionage yarn with a subtle, powerful performance by Hoffman.
In fact, I’m not even sure the movie would be worth watching without Hoffman in it; with apologies to Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe and Robin Wright, who all turn in fine performances in limited roles.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. The German location work is stunning, but the pacing is somnambulating.
As with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this le Carre adaptation is a taut tale with fine acting and directing (The American’s Anton Corbijn) that resembles a chess match more than a Bourne style high-octane actioner. What we have here, then, is a cerebral procedural with little action and even less emotion, save for Hoffman’s f-bomb blitzkrieg during the climax (and really, could anyone employ this particular expletive with as much visceral vitriol as Hoffman?). The climactic action scene is gratifying after waiting so long for something to actually happen in the movie, but it’s too little too late to assist such a stolid story. The European locations are a boon here but can only do so much to spruce up this drab drama, which sees the majority of its scenes told in dimly lit offices that could’ve been filmed anywhere…and probably were. Many will classify this film as a thriller, but that would be a misnomer since there’s absolutely nothing at all thrilling about the methodical, mechanical narrative…however realistic it might be. In the end, this isn’t a terrible film, but it certainly isn’t an exciting one either. It’s just sad that this is one of the final films (only the last two The Hunger Games movies remain on his posthumous filmography) in Hoffman’s tragically abbreviated career. Although his performance is memorable, the film is not.