User Reviews

The final moments of Anton Corbijn's latest film A Most Wanted Man are both gratifying and poetic. Starring an impeccable cast that includes the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, and Robin Wright, the film is based on the novel by John le Carré, and is a tension-driven and smartly paced thriller ride that makes a mark as one of the year's best rides.

A movie that is more in the vein of an extended episode of "Homeland" than a full-out feature (which is not exactly an insult), is tightly wound, fish hooking the audience with its clever storytelling abilities. Corbijn creates a meticulous and subtle picture that unravels itself with suspense and excitement. The movie challenges the audience in attempting to follow each detail and fully understand what is going on. That might be a turn off to many. Like many of Carré's books that have been translated to film like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Constant Gardener, there's an aura that exudes from the screen that you want to take home with you. There's so much to the story that happens before the film and starts and long after the movie ends but you're satisfied with that. Adapted by Andrew Bovell, the Australian screenwriter may have penned the film of his career.

The elephant in the room is the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's very hard to not want the film to end because you are very aware that this will be one of the last times you see a new film by this actor. One of the greatest actors to have ever lived, Hoffman shows exactly why his omission from our world is such a loss. Subtle, electrifying, and profoundly real, Hoffman's "Gunther Bachmann" is an intriguing force that demands the audience's attention with the simplicity of a tone or look. While the tween world waits on the arrival of the final two installments to The Hunger Games, this film felt more of his goodbye to the film community that has appreciated him for over two decades.

One of the pleasant surprises of the film is the beautiful and talented Rachel McAdams, which immediately makes you think, "where has she been?"

While she has been making her rounds in independent films like Passion, About Time, and To the Wonder, her role as "Annabel" shows a deeper talent that is aching to be realized by the right director. Internalizing emotions and releasing only when called upon, McAdams turns in her one of her strongest turns yet. Not your A-typical "damsel in distress" or "unbelievable tough chick," McAdams reinvents a character that could have just laid on the screen with no emotion. She relaxes herself into the role, working well off some of the screen's most gifted performers. It's a magnificent work.

With no real arc or allowance to his character, Willem Dafoe unfortunately distracts for much of the film. Feeling like he's part of the Osborne family again, his role is rather underwritten and a bit of a mystery but not one you're aching to learn more about. Robin Wright utilizes her sensational appeal and charismatic nature to sprinkle a dash of brilliance to the film's narrative. As "Issa," Grigoriy Dobrygin keeps the viewer at a distance, never allowing his true motives to unleash. He constantly asks the viewer to question our own judgment. He is very impressive.

With a gritty yet polished aesthetic, Corbijn knows exactly how he wants his film to look and feel. Using Cinematographer Benoît Delhomme keeps the tension at the very brim of explosion. Composer Herbert Grönemeyer, who also has a role in the film as "Michael," lays out a soothing, relentless score that is both memorable and undeniable.

A Most Wanted Man is smart and precise, an espionage thriller that stands out as one of the best of its kind in quite some time. It's confident in its approach and doesn't shy away from its central purpose. It's a morality tale that engulfs your conscience with terrifying and difficult questions. I don't mind being asked them every now and again. It's one of the year's best.

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Plenty of people have already said this, but it's entirely true: 9/11 unleashed a far larger terror than just devastation to two buildings and many lives; it unleashed widespread paranoia—suspicion of the average Arab and yet another division in ideologies. Guantanamo Bay, contrary to majority belief, isn't only holding convicted terrorists but those innocent men accused of such turpitude as well. Wrongfully marking, such institutions have afforded authorities the ability to aggressively interrogate and brutally torture so much as a suspect. This is the kind of monster the culprits behind 9/11 released onto the world.

A Most Wanted Man chillingly manifests the terrifying degree to which intelligence organizations are (desperately) willing to go in order to identify their targets and extract imperative information. In this case, a man named Issa (Grigoriy Dobrygin) is that target—a former detainee of both a Russian and Turkish prison, now on the run as an innocent man who's being unjustifiably chased—and seeks the assistance of a lawyer (Rachel McAdams) to safely escape the intimidating clutches of whatever intelligence agency. The late Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a spy who operates from a smaller, independent bureau that's significantly less forceful and antagonizing than the more powerful ones surrounding this prey, but still has its wide-open eyes fixed on Issa and the exact reason behind his illegal emigration to Hamburg, Germany as a Muslim.

As to expect from an Anton Corbijn film, this thriller is slower and more deliberate than most but yet definitely more absorbing and exciting than 2010's The American. It's also important to note that the film is an adaptation of the novel (the same title) written by John le Carré who has also authored gripping narratives like The Constant Gardner and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (both went on to become motion pictures as well, the former succeeding and the latter failing in my eyes). Anyway, what commences as a careful study of the crisis (numerous shots of Hoffman's character smoking in a darkly-lit vehicle and those of activity in mosques or Issa's movement around the city) quickens its pace as the stakes are finally realized and the endgame becomes clearer. From there on out, constant frustration and tension is totally expected from the audience as competing forces in the midst of the war on terror— all found in the grayer areas of principle rather than the black-and- white—vie for the upper hand.

The rest of the cast features the likes of Willem Dafoe (a banker who's connected to Issa through family friend relations), Robin Wright (a CIA agent), and Daniel Brühl (working alongside Hoffman as a computer-savvy agent). Hoffman's performance should absolutely be recognized once the end of the year approaches, again proving that he never phones it in (even when we're discussing a YA franchise like The Hunger Games). His character here is both confident in his path yet cautious at the same time, blurring our view to determine whether he's more compassionate or relentlessly unforgiving like the other agents. I also have to give props to McAdams for finally attempting something fresh at this point of her career which primarily consists of clichéd romantic comedies; herein, she doesn't have a romantic partner to latch onto for help as usual but a foreign fugitive on the brink of capture. As a result, she's smart (albeit vulnerably frightened) but only human at the same time.

In addition, the cinematography is very suiting and noteworthy—a bluish hue accompanies a substantial portion of the film as the itty-bitty details of the environment are forced to stick out (everything kept in suspense). Everything is visualized solemnly and unhurriedly, and the filmic look returns as the standard for spy thrillers. A subtle musical score gives an additional edge of anticipation to the narrative as the twists and turns emerge and the complexity of the subject matter deepens.

Now, if the climax wasn't as explosive and wholly satisfying as it was, the rest of the film in comparison would've appeared a little too meandering and eventless for most tastes. However, the subject matter and thematic material of the picture are (unfortunately) incredibly relevant in this day and age and the unpredictability of the story itself will ensue to the very last scene, therefore making this tale a mature compelling and provocative viewing of our modern world—the anguish and trepidation that has devoured us and confused our set of ethics.

You are missed sir Philipp Seymour Hoffman. Brilliance in full display in this highly compelling espionage film, A Most Wanted Man. PSF simply dominates his scenes with subtlety, without the need to turn in a stagey, overcompensating effort. In the few scenes that warrants his aggression, you are absorbed by his thoughts, by his reason. He is a TRUE ARTIST. As for the film, suspense and intrigue does not let up as good vs bad takes an unclear shape, form and allegiance. Sreenplay deserves commendation as we are graciously subjected to seemingly REAL events, what actually happens behind closed doors in the world of intelligence. And that ending... 7.5/10 (probably deserves more).

Greetings again from the darkness. If you aren't an avid reader of John le Carre' spy novels, perhaps you've seen movie versions such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, or The Russia House. If not, how about director Anton Corbijn's previous film The Amercian (2010 with George Clooney)? The more you've read and seen these, the more you are prepared for this latest.

Mr. le Carre' actually was part of MI5 and MI6 (British Intelligence) and uses his experience even so many years ago to provide the type of post 9/11 anti-terrorism spy thriller that doesn't focus on explosions and gun play, but rather the subtleties of communication when very smart people go up against other very smart people who may or may not share their goals. Secrets and misdirection abound. Traps are set, and sly maneuverings are pre-planned.

As if all that weren't enough, how about another mesmerizing performance from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman? He is a master at the top of his craft here. Sure, maybe the German accent is a bit distracting at first, but it was necessary because movie audiences needed a constant reminder that he is not playing an American! I cannot explain how this chain-smoking, mumbling schlub can so dominate a scene and disappear into a character, but Hoffman most certainly does both.

In addition to a very cool script, excellent support work comes from Grigor Dobrygin as Issa, the central figure in Hoffman's character's work, Willem Dafoe as a somewhat shady banker, as well as Robin Wright, Daniel Bruhl, Nina Hoss, Homayoun Ershadi, and Rainer Bock. The only miscast is Rachel McAdams as rich girl turned terrorist sympathizer.

Parts of the score were excellent - the droning, ominous piano notes. The composer was Herbert Gronemeyer, a German rock star (you'd never know from the score). This is a delicious, challenging look at international spies and how one never knows where they fall on the food chain ... minnow, barracuda, shark. http://moviereviewsfromthedark.com/

Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a hard drinking German security agent spying on Hamburg's Muslim community and philanthropist Abdullah. Issa Karpov is an illegal that The Americans Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright) claims to be a Chechen terrorists. Bachmann wants to use him to make contact with an unknown banker. Refugee lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) takes on Karpov's case. He tells her to contact banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) about a mysterious account of over 10 Million Euros left by his Russian military commander father.

It's an interesting murky spy thriller from John le Carré. However it lacks any intensity. Hoffman delivers yet another solid performance. The plot demands intense energy but the movie doesn't allow it. I don't like the fake accented English from North American actors either. It makes the movie feel artificial. All the performances are solid but heavy. Everybody is prodding. There is simply no energy, no tension and no drive.

A Most Wanted Man (2014) was directed by Anton Corbijn. It's based on a novel by John le Carré. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman. Basically, that's all you need to know about this movie.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is Günther Bachmann, a self-described spy. (Actually a counter-intelligence agent.) He's involved with a Chechen immigrant who has been tortured. There's money going from Hamburg to terrorists, but no one knows how this money gets there. Somehow the Chechen is involved. On and on it goes, with the German police opposing Günther, the CIA opposing Günther, and everyone betraying everyone else.

Günther is burned out and, essentially, has no life other than being a spy. As far as we can see, he never takes time off, he is interested in nothing other than work, and he has no friends and no colleagues he can trust. Hoffman portrays this part perfectly. No one could have done it as well.

A Most Wanted Man is pure Carré, and pure Hoffman, and that's why you should see it. If you're not impressed with Carré, or not impressed with Hoffman, there's no point going to the film.

We saw the movie on the large screen at the wonderful Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY. However, it will work just as well on the small screen. No scuba shots, no mountain skiing shots--this isn't James Bond. If you know what to expect--gritty shots of Hamburg, Germany--you won't be disappointed, and the movie will work for you.

This film is all about how bureaucracy works. How the spy agencies tackle and deal with problems that arise. Different agencies have different and sometimes contrasting ways to deal with the same problem and this leads to a dilemma which I think is the main theme of the film. The movie addresses the question of whether it is better to come up with the quick solution by nabbing the ordinary low-lives who become terrorists by getting influenced by others or is it worth the patience to let them do what they are supposed to in order to get to the real bosses and masterminds and get to a solution that is more significant and I think it addresses it brilliantly. The director develops a very tensed atmosphere throughout the entire film and never succumbs to the pressure of coming up with flashy over the top action sequences and the screenplay is very realistic. Now let's come to the acting. There are many supporting actors like Rachel Mcadams, Willem Dafoe,etc who are good. But this film is Philip Seymour Hoffman's vehicle. He is stupendously brilliant as he always was throughout his career. This film allows him to go out with a bang and show the world why he was one of the greatest. He plays a character who is a chain smoker and who uses this addiction to hide from the failures and struggles of his past career. Hoffman never puts a foot wrong. While the film was more or less brilliant, there were one or two minor scenes which seemed slightly unrealistic and Rachel Mcadams' German accent was sort of on again off again. But apart from these I can't find any flaws. Some people who want every spy thriller to be like James Bond have called this boring, but for people who like gritty,realistic stories about spies and national security, this will be a rewarding experience.

As much as I respect and at times love director Anton Corbijn's and author John Le Carré's emphasis on realism, this movie is bogged down by a lack of focus on one story-defining goal, which is rather realistic but makes for a difficult watch.

Before anyone gets mad: I am well aware that this is Philip-Seymour Hoffman's last completed film - which was actually the reason for me to go see it. And he is good. PSH-good. Meaning, by the standards of most other actors he is GREAT, but by PSH-standards its a pretty run-of-the- mill role that does not call for a great performance and Hoffman plays it like that: A neat little movie experience in Germany that came along and that he probably did not take too seriously, obviously not suspecting that it would be his final starring role. And he does well when you compare it to Willem Dafoe's performance, which he apparently took very seriously. At times Dafoe seems to hinge on the verge of overacting, at least when compared to the other actors and his surroundings.

But the real trouble, as I said, is the story. It starts out as an espionage thriller focusing on the question whether Issa, a Chechen Muslim having entered Germany illegally, has come as a terrorist and is planning on meeting fundamentalists or other radical elements and maybe blow something up. Slowly the focus then shifts without ever clarifying that Bachmann (Hoffman) and his team no longer suspect Issa to be dangerous, but somehow they start acting like they have come to that conclusion. The focus keeps shifting and in the end you realize the movie was about something totally different all along which it didn't stress. Because it is something that Bachmann would have had to stress and he is not the kind of character who goes on tantrums over things, so it is realistic but makes the storyline seem a little crooked.

Add to that that around the middle the team decides for a course of action that seems drastic at first but then ends up slowing the entire movie down a bit. For about ten to twenty minutes the whole premise just seems to float and not go anywhere. I felt bored for a while before the pace picked up again.

As a last concern: Rachel McAdams just doesn't belong here. This is not really a critique of her or her acting talents which are fine. But while everybody else looks like the characters they play, she just looks like a Hollywood starlet who came to spice up an independent movie with some glamor. Which is completely out of place. It doesn't help that we all but never see her character, who is supposed to be a lawyer, do anything lawyerly other than speak to Dafoe's rich banker on her client's behalf. She is just an alien in this world of low-life agents and bureaucrats.

What we end up with is a pretty okay movie with some great photography and interesting themes that are, however, not told all that stringently. But if you came to enjoy Hoffman's last performance, you will get your opportunity to enjoy, even if it isn't his most outstanding work. It still shows that the man was a genius on screen.

By the way: If you see this with someone from Germany, prepare that they start giggling when they see "Michael", a government employee aiding Bachmann: The actor is Herbert Grönemeyer, a well-known and often ridiculed pop-singer in Germany who very rarely acts in movies. Germans are primed to laugh at him trying to act (as few remember his pretty well-done starring role in classic "Das Boot").

A word of caution. It took three viewings of 'A Most Wanted Man' for me to understand and fully appreciate the film. It's the film adaptation of the John LeCarre spy novel and, like many of his stories, it's many layered, many charactered. In short, very complicated, to say the least.

Here's the story. There are two events being monitored by a team of German Intelligence Agents in present day Hamburg, a team led by Philip Seymour Hoffman's character Gunther. (1) An Arab doctor living in Hamburg may be sending money to a terrorist organization; money given to the doctor supposedly for charitable purposes. (2) A young Chechyn man has come to Hamburg to claim his dead father's fortune; he is Muslim and, as such, has been tortured by the Russians. The German Intelligence agents have devised a way to bring the two men together and somehow halt the money's being forwarded to terrorists.

As this is LeCarre, nothing remains that simple. There are American Agents afoot with their own objectives. There are German Police Officials with plans of their own. There is a naive German Attorney (Rachel McAdams) looking out for the Chechyn's interests, and a banker (Willem DeFoe) who is necessary to bring the two men together.

Hoffman is the heart of the film. His Gunther is a hard drinking, chain smoking, overweight and overwrought loner. He is playing the 'long game'. Rather than rushing in and arresting everyone and anyone who might be related to terrorists, he wants to discover exactly how the money get transferred and to whom. He is looking to take down whoever sits at the very top of the terrorist pyramid.

The question is, Will he? Will he have the time to do it?

That's what the film's about, and it's definitely a worthwhile subject. And a worthwhile viewing.

About Hoffman? A great loss. If you doubt it, I say, see this film.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's final completed movie casts him as an espionage agent investigating a Chechen immigrant in Hamburg. The main thing that I took from "A Most Wanted Man" is that every government on Earth is forced to take sides in the so-called War on Terrorism. George W. Bush controversially proclaimed "you're either with us or you're with the terrorists". "A Most Wanted Man" author John le Carré was not neutral on this: right before the US invaded Iraq, he wrote an article titled "The United States of America Has Gone Mad". Once it came out that the US had initiated a torture network, it cast doubt on the sincerity of the War on Terrorism. Many of the governments in Europe, including Germany's government, assisted the CIA in this program. As for Chechnya, Russia's wars in Chechnya have been going on since the late 1700s. The Bolsheviks were even worse to the Chechens than the czar's government had been. Stalin's deportation of the Chechens to Kazakhstan - the Chechens' equivalent of the Trail of Tears - pretty much killed any chance of peace between Russia and Chechnya.

It's a good movie, looking at the inner workings of the intelligence world (which became a major issue after Edward Snowden exposed the NSA's surveillance program). I recommend the movie.

This film can best be summed up as the sound of cigarettes burning, ice and whiskey clinking around in tumblers and Phillip Seymor Hoffman breathing laboriously. Now, I love a quiet and gritty film but these sounds of the mundane become more significant than the plot. Critics want to love this film due to Hoffman's unfortunate passing but it lacks expression. The climax is weak. Again, it relies on the textures and sounds of the mundane to create tension and suspense. And this film doesn't end, it just stops. It only inspired conversations of 100 ways to make it better. I'm sure that many will imply that people who do not favor this film are simply not sophisticated enough to understand its subtle complexity but in truth, this is just a boring movie that fails to deliver any thrills.

A MOST WANTED MAN deals with a Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror . The picture concerns upon the world of secrets agents and spies in relation with Islamic terrorism and its funding sources . Thrilling and exciting movie about terrorism , spies and geopolitical issues . The Chechen 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-bent extremist? . The Chechen young called Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) is helped by a lawyer (Rachel McAdams) , being pursued by German secret services , Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) , Irna Frey ,(Nina Hoss) , Maximilian (Daniel Brühl) and American agents (Robin Wright) .

Intrigue , suspense and extraordinary acting by an excellent cast . This interesting movie is a cold thriller plenty of suspense , mystery , tension and a little bit of violence . The ultra-brisk editing and slick scenes movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies . Philip Seymour Hoffman , at his last film , results to be the main attraction , he sustains interest in this tale of spies and terrorism . Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information and drama . The use of thoughtful messages to add weight to an enjoyable subplot between the alleged terrorist and the young solicitor , though feels a little forced . Based on John Le Carré's novel, is a contemporary, cerebral tale of intrigue , love , rivalry, and politics that prickles with tension right through to its last heart-stopping scene . The picture takes parts from a recent sub-genre regarding Islamic terrorism whose main representations are the followings : ¨ The Siege¨ (98, by Edward Zwick with Denzel Washington,Tony Shalhoub) about the dangerous terrorism Arab in US ; ¨ Spy game ¨(2001, by Tony Scott with Brad Pitt and Robert Redford) concerning the spy-world ,¨Body of lies ¨ (2008 by Ridley Scott with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe ) about sophisticated methods of the international terrorism and ¨Traitor¨ (2008 , by Jeffrey Nachmanoff with Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce) dealing with the bombing civilian targets . Exceptional main cast gives good acting as Philip Seymour Hoffman as Günther , Rachel McAdams ad a kind advocate in law and Grigoriy Dobrygin as a half-Chechen, half-Russian, brutally tortured immigrant turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community . Very good support cast such as Robin Wright as Martha Sullivan , Nina Hoss as Irna Frey, Daniel Brühl as Maximilian and Willem Dafoe's cool displaying a brief performance as an astute banker .

The film packs adequate , evocative cinematography by Benoît Delhomme and atmospheric musical score by Herbert Grönemeyer who also appears in a secondary role . The flick was well directed by Anton Corbijn who previously filmed ¨Control¨ and ¨The American¨ . Being written and produced by veteran John Le Carre who wrote several novels about spies sub-genre developed during ¨Cold war¨ , being rendered to cinema in movies as ¨The spy who came in from cold¨ (by Martin Ritt with Richard Burton) , ¨The Kremlin Letter¨(John Huston with Nigel Green) and ¨Russia House¨(Fred Schepisi with Sean Connery) , these films get similar atmosphere and twisted intrigues about spies among East and west World but with no relation to spies from James Bond novels by Ian Fleming . Le Carre's work has been the basis for such recent big screen thrillers as "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "A Most Wanted Man." And today Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie team for John LeCarre TV series based on John LeCarre's 1993 novel "The Night Manager," Ink Factory ("A Most Wanted Man") is producing the series .

There's not very many movies I've seen in the past year that measure up as well as A Most Wanted Man. Granted, I've seen a lot of fun or interesting films that I definitely enjoyed, but this one really hits the mark in a way that others didn't. It transcends being entertaining and becomes its own sort of enigma. But I don't want to give the impression that it's hard to understand, because it certainly isn't. The plot is easy to follow (once you get used to the German accents), and each character has their own tendencies that you pick up on quickly, but I never quite knew what was about to happen. I was kept on my toes, or on the edge of my seat rather, and I appreciated how unpredictable it was.

Set in Hamburg, Germany, it centers around a secret group of anti-terrorism operatives lead by Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman). After coming across a brutally tortured Chechen immigrant who turns up in the local Islamic community, and is laying claim to his father's corrupt fortune, they attempt to establish his true identity and motives. And with the US taking close interest as well, it becomes a slow-burn thriller that unfolds with a huge amount of style and elegance.

It's the kind-of movie you'd want to curl up by the fireplace and watch on a cold December night. Hoffman (who is never not smoking a cigarette in this) delivers one of the best performances in his career, rivaling his role in Capote. And the direction by Anton Corbijn is outstanding, giving it a sharp and neat feel that carries throughout. The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's a definite must-see.

I'm a fan of slow burn spy dramas similar in vein to the show The Americans, however the key to maintaining such compelling drama is a balance of action scenes. The complete lack of any such scenes here made this feel a bit tedious at times. The cast is stellar, led by the excellent final performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The story is also intriguing, but this film just needed an extra oomph of energy to really push it into great territory.

The complexity of morality on display is uncomfortably delicious and the egotistical simplicity of American behavior is desperate, ugly, and destructively abrupt. The ultimate commentary on uber Western reductionist vision and skepticism in all its subtle glory. Philip Seymour Hoffman is exquisite ... lumbering, gruff, tenacious, half-enthused, invested, and resigned. A rewatch was warranted. Robin Wright is elegant and uneasy, Rachel Adams is gentle and distraught, Willam Defoe is exact and ambiguous... RIP #PhilipSeymourHoffman ... in his finest and last hour.

This Anton Corbijn film of John Le Carré's novel is very good. Like all of the author's spy novels, it shows the real way that spycraft gets done in the real world, not the cartoonish shoot-em-ups that Hollywood produces. The story is tense and intricate, and the director has made sure that the realism of the plot and characters is matched by the sets, location shots and production values. Philip Seymour Hoffman is outstanding. We feel his angst, the weight of the past on his every decision, and the struggle between a tired realism and the professionalism that spurs him on. The Rachel McAdams character is a disppointment, probably because it is presented abruptly and devloped superficially, and possibly because she is miscast. Nina Hoss brings fresh air into each of her scenes.

I love a good, gritty, low-key thriller. This movie is not that.

The John Le Carre characters are watered down and distilled to meaninglessness and boredom. None of their motivations are discernible, and the different figures are mostly just there to look sinister, smoke, drink and walk around in Hamburg. The complex Le Carre plot, shrunk to movie length, is completely incomprehensible. Pretty much nothing happens during the entire movie - and by nothing I don't just mean that there are no action scenes (that would be okay) but that there simply is no story. The much lauded "final scene" is just as incomprehensible, meaningless and ridiculous as the rest of the movie.

Nothing in this film interested me at all, except (a little bit) Hoffman's final performance (which, let's face it, is not that exceptional were it not for the fact that it was his final) and, mostly, the interesting Hamburg and German scenery.

Don't see it, it's not worth it.

The plot hardly matters here; it's only a vehicle for exploring the dirty side of intelligence work and is complicated as a Swiss watch. Maybe the NSA revelations have you thinking twice about spywork? The fact that we caught spying on our own allies, the Germans, adds a special relevance to this tale. But the real appeal here is a)LeCarre's dark, dark, dark worldview and b) Hoffman's superb acting. He just tosses this role off, and is utterly convincing. After you see this you should see the film that perfectly bookends it: LeCarre's early '60s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Just as gritty and dirty and with Richard Burton as Alec Leamus. Like Gunther Bachmann,Leamus was a worn-out, beat-up, used-up operative, and audiences of the time, entranced by the frivolities of James Bond, were rather shocked by the dose of reality he represented.

There are deaths it is very difficult for me to reconcile with, deaths about which I maintain a degree of disbelief. I can't believe, for example, that I won't see new movies with Robin Williams or Philip Seymour Hoffman. These are such great actors who have created so many memorable roles, so diverse from one film to another, it's still hard for me to accept that there will be no more. It's hard for me to talk about them in the past tense, because death took them by surprise when they still had so many lives to live as movie heroes on screens plus their own. I kept postponing watching 'A Most Wanted Man', even though I'm a passionate of spy books and movies and a big fan of John le Carré. The main reason, of course, is that I knew it was Philip Seymour Hoffman's last great role. Now that I've seen the film directed by Anton Corbijn released in 2014, I should probably start getting used to it. His role is fascinating and the film, which has many other qualities but also some problems, revolves around him.

In adapting John le Carré's novel, the screenwriters simplified the story, eliminating for example all British references but especially simplified (and in many respects over-simplified) most of the characters by turning them into typological examples rather than complex, ambiguous characters, always carrying several layers of masks from the novels of the English master writer. It can be said that Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the head of the German intelligence team that organizes shadow operations in the pursuit of terrorist organizations and follows the financing channels of Islamic terrorism, is the only character truly belonging to le Carré's universe. Around him is built the conspiratorial intrigue that takes place in the milieus of the espionage services, of the legal and illegal immigrants, of the big finance in Germany. The story is well written and interesting, and as an international spy film 'A Most Wanted Man' can be considered a success. The cinematography is excellent, Hamburg with its cold, fog and shadows looks very good and authentic in Benoît Delhomme's conception, and let's not forget that the film director Anton Corbijn is also a photographer by formation, and author of short films with a strong visual impact.

We can, of course, only regret that such talents as Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright or Willem Dafoe do not have more consistent roles. Their characters hold much promise but remain at the sketch level. The same goes for the relationship between the idealistic leftist lawyer (Rachel McAdams) and the Chechen refugee (Grigoriy Dobrygin) who could have been the subject of an entire film, but here it does not convince and does not create emotion. Maybe all this is also due to the fact that the film is dominated by the acting creation of Philip Seymour Hoffman. His Günther Bachmann tries to play a honest role in a dishonest world, agrees to engage in illegal activities in the fight against those for whom the law has no meaning, manipulates and is manipulated, and is aware that those he uses risk being destroyed just by agreeing to cooperate with him even if he tries to save them, but he continues, because there is no alternative. If Philip Seymour Hoffman's life and career had continued, this would have been one of a series of outstanding roles on screen. Being the last role, it gains extra significance - we know when we see his last cry of despair, his last disappointed look thrown over his shoulder. Farewell, Philip Seymour Hoffman!

Hoffman? Le Carre? two hours of cerebral spy thriller? What's not to like?

The film runs 2 hours and 1 minute, and for 2 hours I held on to that hope. Unfortunately in that last minute the lights come on and, well, there's a lot not to like.

For starters, the "man" is an enigma throughout the four day narrative. We know he's been in Russian then Turkish prison and he's been tortured. And that's the whole back story, not in a nutshell but the whole seven course meal. And we learn nothing more about him whether he's guilty of anything or innocent of everything. Nonetheless, Bachmann (Hoffman), the German police, and American intelligence are all keenly interested in him and his purpose in Hamburg. A day or two later, Bachmann has discovered his very mundane purpose, which, naturally as there wouldn't be much story otherwise, fits in perfectly with his plans to turn a benevolent but dirty local Islamic philanthropist. The police and Americans have other ideas - and that is the entire plot - not convoluted, subtle, nuanced, layered, or complex. It's just a bureaucratic turf war that turns out badly (maybe) because apparently there is no higher authority in German intelligence to resolve things, other than this sloppy, chain smoking, drunk.

These narrative problems appear to originate in the book, if Amazon reviews are any guide, but are compounded by Corbijn's direction, which, just as in the tedious "The American", combines brilliant visual with lifeless, stereotyped characterization.

The acting is fine and while the camera frame is Hoffman's oyster, playing a sloppy, chain smoking, drunk is not exactly a challenge, nor, sadly, a stretch.

It was in Netflix's recent adaptation of the life of Herman J. Mankiewicz where Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM), uttered the following words: "This is a business where the buyer gets nothing for his money but a memory."

And, to be completely honest, I will remember this movie only for two distinct elements.

First, is the fact that this was one of Hoffmanns last cinematic achievement where he played a prominent role. His performance is laudable, as he authentically plays a

Secondly, its the what might be called the movies realism which particularly strikes out to me, that is the directing, the taut but slow-paced plot which results in our characters losing and the scenery of a decaying Hamburg in the 21st century.

For me that's it, really. A respectable entry to the spy genre.

I would give this movie a 6.5.

"A Most Wanted Man" (2014 release; 121 min.) is the big screen adaptation of the John Le Carre novel of the same name. As the movie opens, we see some guy entering the port of Hamburg, Germany in a covert way. We later learn he is Issa, an alleged jihadist who has fled Chechnya, Russia for fear of prosecution. In a parallel story line, we get to know Gunther Bachmann (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), who heads an anti-terror unit in the German security forces. Gunther and his colleague Erna (played by Nina Hoss) are quickly on the trail of Issa. Meanwhile, through mutual connections, Issa is put in touch with Annabel Richter (played by Rachel McAdams), a lawyer defending the causes of asylum seekers. To tell you more of the story would spoil your viewing experience of this plot-heavy movie, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, this is the latest movie from Dutch director Anton Corbijn, best known for his extensive visual design and video work for Depeche Mode and other bands. He also brought us "Control", the biopic about Joy Division's Ian Curtis. In this film, he stays more in the direction of his most recent film, "The American" (starring George Clooney). As you can expect, the visuals in "A Most Wanted Man" are given plenty of attention and detail. Hamburg (the city) is as much a character in the movie as are the key performers. Second, the movie itself works quite well. Compared to the previous John Le Carre adaptation for the big screen, 2011's disastrous "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", this movie is a masterpiece, albeit not without flaws. The movie keeps us guessing for much of the time as to what really is going on (primarily: is Issa ultimately a "good" guy or a "bad" guy?), and that keeps the tension of the movie up (n a good way). Third, this movie is, sadly, best known for being one of the very last on screen performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman. He does his usual great work, even with the funny faux German accent, but I have to say that he does not look well or at ease. The (literally) non-stop smoking during the entire movie surely does not help. There are quite a few other to take note of: Willem Dafoe as the (sleazy? good?) banker, Robin Wright as the American Embassy envoye, Rachel McAdams as the well-intended asylum lawyer, and last but certainly not least, Nina Hoss as Gunther's colleague. She is in my humble opinion one of Europe's top actresses of this generation, with such recent films as "Barbara", "Yerichow" and "Yella". Hoss brings a much needed spark to "A Most Wanted Man". Finally, there is a nice orchestral score for this movie, composed by German musician Herbert Grönemeyer.

The movie came out 3 weeks or so ago here in Cincinnati but for whatever reason I didn't get to see it until now. Imagine my surprise that the matinée screening where I saw this at this weekend was very well attended. Mostly an older audience I might add. I surmise that this being a John Le Carre adaptation plays a huge factor in people coming to check this movie out. Bottom line: "A Most Wanted Man" is a satisfactory spy-thriller with several stellar acting performances, in particular Philip Deymour Hoffman and Nina Hoss. "A Most Wanted Man" is definitely worth checking out, be it in the theater or on DVD/Bly-ray.