Review of A Most Wanted Man (2014) by Mark M — 29 Nov 2014

Based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, A Most Wanted Man displays the inner politics of the espionage game with Bachmann's team going against the German security official, Dieter Mohr (Rainer Bock), and the American diplomat, Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright), who are attempting to secure Karpov for their own agendas in the 'fight against terror'. Karpov, with the help of his relatives, enlists the help from a lawyer, Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams), to contact Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe), the son of a banker that Karpov's father knew to facilitate Karpov's intention of coming to Germany. While juggling Karpov's presence in Hamburg and Mohr's interference with it, Bachmann's team are also attempting to investigate Dr. Faisal Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi), suspected of directing funds towards Al-Qaeda.

Hoffman - with the grace and finesse of a veteran acting juggernaut - sells the role of Günther Bachmann impeccably as a manipulative, old-fashioned yet well-meaning spy that is out place in a cruel, unforgiving post-9/11 world. Shots linger on his face, posture, and actions as Hoffman's performance sells the idea that Bachmann has begun to physically grow weary of his role in the world of espionage, but not mentally, but in his head, Bachmann is still at the top of his game.

While A Most Wanted Man is primarily a character study of an old fashioned spy as a well oiled espionage machine, it is still supported by some of the best Hollywood has to offer with Willem Dafoe and Rachel McAdams, along with House of Cards' Robin Wright. Grigoriy Dobrygfin holds his own against the overwhelming talent from his co-stars as the half-Russian, half-Chechen Issa Karpov, a character from two vastly different worlds, in a world that is already split.

With its fair share of slow cloak and dagger dealings - and an utterly tense "What's going to happen now?" third act - A Most Wanted Man moves at the pace of a crippled Al-Qaeda insurgent made to crawl through a minefield as a method of torture. The movie isn't as fast as one of the Bourne or other high-octane spy movies - and visibly slower than Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - as it's an inherently slow-burn espionage tale that relies on a combination of a tense atmosphere, controversial subject matter and character expansion. The movie's pace is an aspect that I've seen many complain about, but it's just something I can't seem to understand. Were they expecting Hoffman to engage in close-quarters fight scenes with terrorists while props explode in the background?