Review of The Constant Gardener (2005) by Lorenzo V — 29 Dec 2008

"Love. At any cost.".

A man discovers a deadly secret when he tries to find out who killed the woman he loves in this suspense drama based on a novel by John Le Carré. Justin Quale (Ralph Fiennes) is a low-level British diplomat who has been given a new assignment in Kenya. Justin's wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), is an activist with a keen interest in issues of poverty and social justice; Justin urges her to avoid getting too deeply involved in the people living in Kenya, who are constantly dogged by poverty, but she shows little interest in obeying these instructions. This isn't the only area where Tessa has disregarded her husband, who suspects that she may have had an affair - for she started spending time with a handsome doctor once they settled in Kenya. One day, Tessa disappears, and is found brutally murdered; officials believe that she was murdered by the doctor after some sort of argument. However, before long Justin becomes convinced that there was a larger scheme that led to Tessa's death, and he begins digging into areas where he's not especially welcome, given his reputation as a man willing to let the wealthy and powerful do as they will. The Constant Gardener was the first English-speaking feature from Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, who directed the international success City of God.

Review.

I really should run down to the store and rent Boogeyman. I haven't seen a bad film in weeks, and this is certainly no exception. Rachel Weisz whole-heartedly deserved her Oscar, though I cant quite understand why it was for supporting actress rather than actress in a leading role. In fact the entire cast was phenomenal, with special nods going out to Bill Nighy and, of course, the always great Ralph Fiennes. The plot had me guessing until the very end, and while the final outcome was unavoidable, I was still somewhat surprised. A word of warning however: If you're like many people I know, and dismiss movies simply for being "boring", this is not for you. The majority of the film is talking and there is very little action. If that kind of film bothers you, leave this one on the shelf. Otherwise, I highly recommend it.