A Most Wanted Man (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Ever watch a slow-moving, super-serious, super well-acted spy movie that's slow, but also slow, um, slowww, I mean, really slowwww, I mean, sooo slowwww ... slowwwww ... slllllllloowwwwww ---- oh, sorry, fell asleep again. THAT'S this movie, 'A Most Wanted Man', directed by Anton Corbijn & based on a novel by John Le Carre (The Constant Gardner, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ... two other impressive, yet slow-moving films). Burned-out German intel officer Gunther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his final roles ... sad face) works in Hamburg, Germany, where the September 11th attacks were originally planned.
A young 1/2-Chechen, 1/2-Russian immigrant, Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) - and possible ex-jihadist - turns up, sending Gunther's own people on ultra high alert. Human rights lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) plans to secure Karpov a $$ multi-million euro inheritance from his father. Gunter enlists the help of both Annabel & of banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) and - using Karpov as bait - hopes to catch a much bigger threat: a respected philanthropist who is suspected of using a shipping company to finance Al Qaeda activity. But Gunther's clueless higher-ups are beginning to lose patience with him. Sleep-enducing drama ensues.
Many critics are calling 'A Most Wanted Man' controlled, restrained, moody, blah blah blah. I call it well-intentioned, but terminally-paced. I won't say 'boring'. I don't like that word much -- so, terminally-paced covers it (2 hours have rarely felt longer while watching a movie). I didn't hate this movie because, quite frankly, there's nothing to hate. PSH gives another quietly riveting performance as a man grappling with his past mistakes -- he's always caught btwn. his successes & failures. The main reason to watch this film is to observe PSH's talent; not only does he inflect an impressive German accent, but he has the ability to make us lean forward in our seats, waiting for what he's going to say or do next ... even if that just entails dragging a long time on a cigarette or taking that last shot of whiskey.
Also impressive is Robin Wright (as an American diplomat), Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams (though her accent goes in & out). No, the performances did not disappoint; they are solid. They save the movie from failure. Other positives? I dug a few of the tension-filled cat-&-mouse game scenes that are interspersed throughout the proceedings. I enjoyed the grey, gloomy, urban European locales. But that's really all about it. I did not care for the ending. And the slowness of the film reminded me of another slow film, The American ... ALSO directed by Anton Corbijn. What's with this guy and glacially-paced spy dramas!?
A young 1/2-Chechen, 1/2-Russian immigrant, Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) - and possible ex-jihadist - turns up, sending Gunther's own people on ultra high alert. Human rights lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) plans to secure Karpov a $$ multi-million euro inheritance from his father. Gunter enlists the help of both Annabel & of banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) and - using Karpov as bait - hopes to catch a much bigger threat: a respected philanthropist who is suspected of using a shipping company to finance Al Qaeda activity. But Gunther's clueless higher-ups are beginning to lose patience with him. Sleep-enducing drama ensues.
Many critics are calling 'A Most Wanted Man' controlled, restrained, moody, blah blah blah. I call it well-intentioned, but terminally-paced. I won't say 'boring'. I don't like that word much -- so, terminally-paced covers it (2 hours have rarely felt longer while watching a movie). I didn't hate this movie because, quite frankly, there's nothing to hate. PSH gives another quietly riveting performance as a man grappling with his past mistakes -- he's always caught btwn. his successes & failures. The main reason to watch this film is to observe PSH's talent; not only does he inflect an impressive German accent, but he has the ability to make us lean forward in our seats, waiting for what he's going to say or do next ... even if that just entails dragging a long time on a cigarette or taking that last shot of whiskey.
Also impressive is Robin Wright (as an American diplomat), Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams (though her accent goes in & out). No, the performances did not disappoint; they are solid. They save the movie from failure. Other positives? I dug a few of the tension-filled cat-&-mouse game scenes that are interspersed throughout the proceedings. I enjoyed the grey, gloomy, urban European locales. But that's really all about it. I did not care for the ending. And the slowness of the film reminded me of another slow film, The American ... ALSO directed by Anton Corbijn. What's with this guy and glacially-paced spy dramas!?