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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Tailor of Panama, The
Columbia Pictures

Tailor of Panama, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 66 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.6 out of 10
based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for strong sexuality, language and some violence

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush, Leonor Varela, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Gleeson, Harold Pinter, David Hayman, and Catherine McCormack

Ruthless, seductive British spy Andy Osnard (Brosnan) may have been banished to Panama, but he's got a secret weapon -- Harry Pendel (Rush), a Cockney ex-con who has reinvented himself as a popular tailor to the rich and powerful of the country. Harry is famous for his storytelling as well as his suits, but this time Harry's yarn will give the arrogant Osnard his comeuppance. (Sony Pictures)


GENRE(S): Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: John Boorman
Andrew Davies
John Le Carré (also novel)
 
DIRECTED BY: John Boorman  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: September 11, 2001 
Video: September 11, 2001 
Theatrical: March 30, 2001 
RUNNING TIME: 109 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA / Ireland 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

91
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
Energetic and inventive, it's a satirical, smart, grown-up thriller.
Read Full Review
88
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
A real movie, rich and atmospheric, savoring its disreputable characters and their human weaknesses.
Read Full Review
88
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
Brosnan turns his typical talent on its head. So does director Boorman, who forsakes his usual tingling virtuosity.
Read Full Review
88
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
Like a Bach toccata or a frosty drink on a sunlit veranda, a first-class movie spy thriller can offer one of life's cooler, more elegant treats. The Tailor of Panama fits that category.
Read Full Review
83
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
In a world full of off the rack thrillers, it's fine boutique quality.
Read Full Review
80
Variety David Stratton
Classy, articulate and richly humorous.
Read Full Review
80
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Benefits from delicious acting from co-stars Geoffrey Rush and Pierce Brosnan, a mordant script co-written by le Carre (along with Boorman and Andrew Davies), and the distinctive touch of its director.
Read Full Review
80
New York Magazine Peter Rainer
The film starts out as a freewheeling farce and turns into a pitch-black burlesque with surprising depths of feeling.
Read Full Review
80
The New York Times Dana Stevens
The first really good spy movie about the impossibility, under present historical circumstances, of making a really good spy movie.
Read Full Review
80
Village Voice J. Hoberman
A cut above last season's best studio offerings. The performances are well turned out. The morality is stylishly gray. The attitude is almost fashionable.
Read Full Review
80
Salon.com Charles Taylor
A sophisticated, subtle adult entertainment that is also a compliment to the audience.
Read Full Review
79
Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
A fast, funny film that goes down like a cyanide-spiked piña colada.
Read Full Review
78
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
It's a humorous film, to be sure, but there's also a stringent vein of giddy realism to it.
Read Full Review
75
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Overall, it's a hand-tailored job in a marketplace filled with off-the-rack movies.
75
USA Today Mike Clark
Brosnan and Rush are a smooth fit, playing off each other like a snappy shirt and tie.
Read Full Review
75
Boston Globe Jay Carr
Many spy capers lose their intended irony and wry black humor, but The Tailor of Panama stays stylishly on target in ways that would put a heat-seeking missile to shame.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan
Forget the end and there is much to enjoy here.
70
Slate David Edelstein
I fear that the cozy domestic ending will leave audiences disappointed, convinced that they've seen something smaller and less momentous than they have.
Read Full Review
70
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
A cut above the preposterous action spectacles that now pass for espionage films.
Read Full Review
70
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
The show belongs to Geoffrey Rush in a note-perfect performance as Harry Pendel, the tailor.
Read Full Review
70
Washington Post Desson Thomson
Despite a dissatisfying conclusion, a sense that things don't completely jell, The Tailor of Panama is lively and provocative.
Read Full Review
63
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
If The Tailor of Panama doesn't quite gel, the attempt is still worth savoring.
60
Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
An Austin Powers movie for grown-ups.
Read Full Review
60
Film.com David D'Arcy
If anything saves this movie, it's the acting.
Read Full Review
50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Strains too hard to seem smart and savvy.
Read Full Review
50
Washington Post Stephen Hunter
The rhythms excite expectations that go unanswered.
Read Full Review
50
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
The script gets so silly, the Monty Python troupe would reject it.
Read Full Review
40
Time Richard Schickel
The film finally collapses under the burden of implausibility.
Read Full Review
40
LA Weekly Ella Taylor
The movie is crudely jokey and, finally, a wimpy betrayal of its source.
Read Full Review
25
San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
Anyone expecting a flashy Bond-style fantasy is going to be disappointed.
Read Full Review
20
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Only Le Carre fans with tin ears and clouded eyes will fail to note the film's sour tone, crude performances and drab look.

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 4.6 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

JJ G gave it a9:
Lots of fun in an evil, devilish, and absolutely delicious way. Brosnan and Rush are both wonderful.

g fisher gave it a7:
Worth renting.

Pat C. gave it a 6:
Brosnan tones it down. It's a mild thriller with an air of authenticity. Worth a view when nothing else is on.

Eric S. gave it a 0:
I didn't find one redeeming quality about this movie.

Gilberto C. gave it a 0:
This movie sucks. I'd prefer j*** off than see this movie.

Byron E. gave it a 10:
Cool...una buena ambientación de un libro..

Don D. gave it a 7:
I thought the plot was thought provoking and the idiocy of the British and US governments was a plus! Brosnan in a real change of character and Rush is brilliant.

Read more user comments...

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