Review of A Most Wanted Man (2014) by Patrick L — 22 Dec 2014

"In his last leading role, Philip Seymour Hoffman is terrific as a German intelligence officer with a heavy accent.".

Movie Review: A Most Wanted Man.

Directed By Anton Corbijn (The American).

Screenplay By Andrew Bowell, Based on the novel by John Le Carre.

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel.

McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Daniel Bruhl, Nina Hoss, Derya Alabora, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Herbert Gronemeyer, Martin Wuttke and Homayoun Ershadi.

"A Most Wanted Man" is an intelligent thriller with Philip Seymour Hoffman giving his last great performance. Sure, he will show up again in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" but this is the last movie where he gives a high-caliber performance. Based on John Le Carre's 2008 novel, "A Most Wanted Man" is a riveting thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Hoffman plays Gunther Bachmann, a German intelligence officer who since 9/11 has been heading a small spy unit in Hamburg. His agency tracks down the Muslim community and he must find a man named Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin). Karpov is half-Chechen, half-Russian, he's desperate for help and he's looking to recover his late father's fortune. Karpov soon hires a human-rights lawyer named Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) to collect his father's fortune but the money is at a German bank run by Thomas Brue (Willem Dafoe).

The movie wants us to figure out what is Issa Karpov's motive? Is it just greed or is he trying to start a terrorist attack? Gunther wants to find out as much as we do and so does CIA operative Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright). The performances are top-notch and the interplay between Hoffman and Wright is captivating. With his heavy German accent, Philip Seymour Hoffman is terrific in his last leading role.

Possibly the best spy thriller since "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (which was also based on a Le Carre novel), "A Most Wanted Man" is a smart puzzle of a thriller. Director Anton Corbijn (The American) and screenwriter Andrew Bowell have crafted a spy thriller with sharp dialogue, well-drawn characters and suspense. It is indeed sad that Hoffman died of a heroin overdose back in February but in "A Most Wanted Man", Hoffman knocks it out of the park as Gunther. He was truly the best character actor of our time.