X
- 2014
- R
- Lionsgate
- 2 h 2 m
- 2014
- R
- Lionsgate
- 2 h 2 m
Summary When a half-Chechen, half-Russian immigrant turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community, laying claim to his father's ill-gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man's true identity - oppressed victim or destruction-b...
Directed By: Anton Corbijn
Written By: Andrew Bovell, John le Carré, Stephen Cornwell
- 2014
- R
- Lionsgate
- 2 h 2 m
- 2014
- R
- Lionsgate
- 2 h 2 m
A Most Wanted Man
73
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary When a half-Chechen, half-Russian immigrant turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community, laying claim to his father's ill-gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man's true identity - oppressed victim or destruction-b...
Directed By: Anton Corbijn
Written By: Andrew Bovell, John le Carré, Stephen Cornwell
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
73
76% Positive
32 Reviews
32 Reviews
24% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
73
76% Positive
32 Reviews
32 Reviews
24% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
[A] crackerjack thriller, at once brooding, claustrophobic and unbearably tense.
Every move Hoffman makes subtly rivets attention. There's the uncanny German accent, the boozing, the chain-smoking, the glances at his assistant (Nina Hoss), the secret life he keeps hidden and the betrayals even Günther can't see coming. Hoffman is simply magnificent. Face it. We won't see his like again.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 168 User Ratings
7.0
73% Positive
123 Ratings
123 Ratings
20% Mixed
33 Ratings
33 Ratings
7% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 168 User Ratings
7.0
73% Positive
123 Ratings
123 Ratings
20% Mixed
33 Ratings
33 Ratings
7% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
A brilliant espionage thriller with a solid screenplay/adaptation by Andrew Bovell and a great performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman.Anton Corbijn's directing was subtle as well as the cinematography by Benoit Delhomme.Truly a good film, one of the most underrated films of the year
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This was my favorite film of the year so far. No CGI, no high-octane action, just a great plot that is superbly acted by every single one of the cast.
The story isn't fast paced, but it develops well and keeps your attention from start to finish. The cinematography is just perfect and really adds to the film, the lead actor has a very commanding screen presence and you really get drawn into his world and the story that develops around his character.
This film shows a completely different character for a spy compared to Ian Flemings James Bond, but one equally as enjoyable to watch on a big screen. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and would watch it again on blu-ray.
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Hoffman doesn't get a lot of flashy, awards-show-clip moments, but he's all the more engrossing for underplaying and revealing volumes with the slightest of reactions and inflections.
Like most of le Carré’s novel, A Most Wanted Man has a veracity most spy thrillers lack, and the suspense is of the intellectual, not visceral, kind.
Hoffman was a genius, a tremendously gifted actor who could shine in almost any role... A Most Wanted Man may not be the best example of this, but it certainly adds to the evidence.
Whether you call Anton Corbijn’s adaptation of John le Carré’s 2008 novel “deliberately paced” or “so slow I can feel my hair growing,” there’s no denying the power behind the central performance.
Hits on all cylinders. Acting, directing, cinematography, writing. Dimensional characters, tautly acted, against a great story. You can tell there was craft in the directing and cinematography, but it doesn't call attention to itself, rather choosing to serve storytelling.
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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A Most Wanted Man has some notoriety for being the final film released before Philip Seymour Hoffman's untimely death, and it is fitting that it is also recognised as one of his stand out performances.
The film revolves around a simple enough premise.
A contemporary set thriller, in Hamburg, Hoffman plays Günther Bachmann, the leader of an underfunded, underappreciated and beleaguered anti-terrorist squad. Things kick off when a young man is spotted on CCTV and recognised as the son of a dead Russian war criminal, who the authorities believe is a Jihadi sympathiser and therefore a direct threat.
Bachmann, however, is a more pragmatic man, believing that it's better to use blackmail etc (techniques he knows the German authorities can never legally condone) to get the people at the 'bottom' of the chain, to help catch and/or blackmail those further up. Bachmann recognises that his approach is disconcerting the post 9/11 'world', especially if there's the possibility he's wrong, and the Russian is there simply to blow something up, or escape further into the West.
What follows is a well conceived, two hour long, character driven thriller.
As a film though, it's not brilliant. Based on the John Le Carre novel of the same name, it's strange that a complex novel seems unable to be turned into a coherent screenplay. It's too slow paced, there's no real drama, all the peripheral characters aren't fleshed out and, worst of all, the basic 'message' of the book (that of extraordinary rendition by the American government) is pretty much removed from the narrative. Bachmann only offering the possibility (and not using the term itself) when explaining what could happen to the Russian man if he doesn't co-operate.
It's not brilliantly directed, the score is instantly forgettable, and the film ends without offering any rationale as to the actions of those responsible for the 'twist' at the very end.
Disappointing film, but filled with some excellent acting performances.
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I am convinced this movie received generally positive reviews for two reasons: Le Carre wrote the novel (and reviewers decades ago decided to love everything he produces regardless of the quality of his books; is he still coasting on The Spy Who Came in from the Cold after all this time?), and it came out shortly after the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman who stars in it. It certainly did not get positive reviews for the quality of the story, which is the single most lead footed, plodding, predictable spy story I have ever seen. I'm all for dialogue and I was glad to sit down for a spy story that would be free of the routine cliches of guns and disguises, poison pens, and so on. But I did not expect the story also to be devoid of complexity, devoid of depth of character (one of the things literary thrillers are supposed to have), devoid of surprise, and mostly devoid of suspense. After the first forty-five minutes or so I realized the movie wasn't going to go anywhere. I gave up on it half a hour before the end, but then watched the last half hour the next morning. Nothing much happened. It has about as much plot and character development in its two plus hours, as you'd expect in the first 20 minutes of any other movie.
Yes the acting was very good and it was fun to hear a Tom Waits song at the end over the credits. But without a story acting's got nothing to do. And sitting through a whole movie for a two minute song at the end, isn't my idea **** time.
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Production Company
Lionsgate,
Film4,
Demarest Films,
FilmNation Entertainment,
Senator Film Produktion,
Potboiler Productions,
The Ink Factory,
Amusement Park Films
Release Date Jul 25, 2014
Duration 2 h 2 m
Rating R
Tagline From Master Spy novelist John le Carré Best Selling Author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Awards
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Días de Cine Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
