4.5 stars. Rated R, for profanity
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 7.25.14
John Le Carré continues to write
gripping espionage thrillers, and he has the added bonus of seeing many of them
translated intelligently to the big screen.
A Most Wanted Man is no exception.
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| Having brought naive young lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) into custody against her will, German intelligence agent Gunther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) patiently — oh, so patiently — explains the folly of her recent behavior, in an effort to get her to reveal information about the young man she believes needs her help. |
This compelling adaptation is
helmed by Dutch director Anton Corbijn, who first came to our attention back in
2010 with his disappointing handling of The American, an adaptation of Martin
Booth’s A Very Private Gentleman. In fairness, that film’s failure had more
to do with its dull, dreary script and a miscast George Clooney’s soulless
performance, along with the fact that it was difficult to sympathize with a
career assassin possessing few redeeming qualities.
Corbijn obviously learned a lot from
that experience, because A Most Wanted Man boasts everything that his
previous thriller lacked. For starters, le Carré’s riveting plot is ripped from
contemporary headlines and fueled by the moral dilemma that troubles all
progressive Western countries: Can we justify subverting established law in the
pursuit of terrorists who refuse to “play fair”?
Le Carré’s densely complex novel
has been compressed ingeniously by scripter Andrew Bovell, who deftly stripped
away an entire set of supporting players (the British) in order to amplify the
German setting and characters, primarily the veteran black-ops surveillance
agent who has become the heart of this narrative.
That would be Gunther Bachmann,
played to ferocious perfection by Philip Seymour Hoffman: the last film he
completed before his tragic and untimely death.
To say that Hoffman’s performance
is mesmerizing would be gross understatement; the man owns the screen, and this
film. The forever disheveled Bachmann is a study in contrasts: a beady-eyed,
chain-smoking, whisky-drinking fox who flouts established authority and
couldn’t care less about currying favor, and yet possesses investigative skills
that cannot be dismissed, even by colleagues and superiors who loathe him.
Hoffman has for quite some time
transcended the artifice of performance; he’s one of very few film actors who
doesn’t merely “play” a part, but instead fully inhabits the role of moment.
That’s particularly true here, where we quickly cease to see Hoffman and
instead watch, fascinated, as Gunther Bachmann embraces the sacred trust placed
in his hands: to make the world a safer place.
That’s a key line: Watch
Hoffman’s body language, and his expression, when he is given the opportunity
to toss it back at the individual who first says it to him. Rarely will you see
such an impeccably crafted blend of amusement, irony and barely controlled
fury.
