A Most Wanted Man (film)

A Most Wanted Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Produced by
Screenplay by Andrew Bovell
Based on A Most Wanted Man
by John le Carré
Starring
Music by Herbert Grönemeyer
Cinematography Benoît Delhomme
Edited by Claire Simpson
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • 19 January 2014 (2014-01-19) (Sundance)[1]
  • 25 July 2014 (2014-07-25) (United States)
  • 5 September 2014 (2014-09-05) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 122 minutes[2]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • USA
  • Germany
Language English
Budget $15 million[3]
Box office $36.2 million[4]

A Most Wanted Man is a 2014 espionage thriller film based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, directed by Anton Corbijn and written by Andrew Bovell.[5] The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Daniel Brühl and Nina Hoss. It premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival[6] and competed in the main competition section of the 36th Moscow International Film Festival[7] and the 40th Deauville American Film Festival. It was the last of Hoffman's films to be released before his death.

Plot

Issa Karpov, a political refugee from Chechnya who has been tortured by Russian security forces, enters Hamburg, Germany, illegally.

Günther Bachmann leads a covert German government team that seeks to recruit local informants with ties to Islamic terrorist organizations. The disheveled Günther's polar opposite is his efficient right-hand associate, Irna Frey. The team learns of Karpov's presence and his suspected links to Chechen terrorists.

Bachmann's team is also tracking the activities of a local, respected, Muslim philanthropist, Dr. Abdullah, who the team suspects is funneling a small portion of his legitimate funds to Al Qaeda, though the team is unable to prove this. High-ranking German security official Mohr and American diplomatic attaché Sullivan both learn of these investigations and take an interest.

Bachmann is interested in watching suspects and "turning" informants higher and higher up the chain, while protecting the naïve who are caught up in the nefarious affairs of others. Mohr and Sullivan appear single-minded, and interested in merely capturing suspects, regardless of guilt or future usefulness. Bachmann has been disgraced in the past for an apparently serious failure, and shows signs of self-neglect, but is a sophisticated operative who understands Islamic terrorism, and distrusts politicians and the Americans.

Karpov contacts an immigration lawyer, Annabel Richter, who helps put him in contact with Tommy Brue, a wealthy banker whose father had long ago laundered money for Karpov's father, of the Russian mafia. Karpov is the legal heir to a multimillion-dollar account long held by this bank, but Karpov identifies with his maternal Chechen, Muslim heritage and decides he no longer wants his father's dirty money.

Bachmann's team is able to turn Brue and Richter to their cause, using threats and seduction. Richter convinces Karpov to donate the funds to Abdullah's organization, in the hope that Abdullah will reroute some of the funds to a shipping company acting as a front for al-Qaeda. Bachmann plans to use this proof of guilt to turn Abdullah as well and ensnare those higher up in the terrorist organization. The plan is approved by the interior minister, along with the American who has become an apparent ally of Bachmann. Bachmann secures asylum for the innocent Karpov.

Abdullah does indeed route funds to the shipping company. Bachmann, posing as a taxi driver, picks up Abdullah with the goal of turning him into an informant without disrupting his life or family. As Bachmann drives away, he is ambushed by forces reporting to Mohr and Sullivan, who whisk away Abdullah and Karpov. Bachmann screams as Frey, Richter, and Brue look on in shock. Bachmann drives off, defeated.

Cast

Production

Principal photography took place in Hamburg, Germany in September 2012.[8]

Release

In July 2013, Lionsgate acquired the US distribution rights to the film.[9]

On 11 April 2014, the first trailer for the film was released.[10] A new trailer for the UK was revealed on 30 June.[11]

On 25 July 2014, the film received a limited release in the United States, beginning with 361 theatres and later expanding wider. It earned US$36,233,517 worldwide.[4]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 186 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Smart, subtle, and steadily absorbing, A Most Wanted Man proves once again that John le Carré books make for sharp, thoughtful thrillers."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Many critics praised Hoffman's performance, which was his last leading role before his death in February 2014.[13] Richard Roeper called the film one of the best spy thrillers in recent years, and called it the seventh best film of 2014.[14] Critic Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called it a "crackerjack thriller" and praised the performance of the entire cast but Hoffman in particular. He wrote that A Most Wanted Man is "a fitting film for him to leave on, not only because it is so expertly done but because his role was so challenging."[15]

References

  1. ↑ Sinha-Roy, Piya (21 January 2014). "Corbijn debuts post-9/11 thriller A Most Wanted Man at Sundance". Reuters. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "A Most Wanted Man (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "A MOST WANTED MAN". Movie Insider. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 A Most Wanted Man at Box Office Mojo
  5. ↑ "First Look: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams in A Most Wanted Man (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (9 December 2013). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2014 Premieres Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "36th Moscow Film Festival Competition Program". MIFF. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  8. ↑ Sandwell, Ian (25 September 2012). "A Most Wanted Man begins shooting". Screen International. Emap International Limited. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Lionsgate Acquires A Most Wanted Man; John Le Carre Adaptation Stars Philip Seymour Hoffman And Rachel McAdams". Deadline.com. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Enk, Bryan (11 April 2014). "A Most Wanted Man Trailer: Philip Seymour Hoffman Reminds Us Of His Greatness". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (30 June 2014). "Philip Seymour Hoffman Smokes in 'A Most Wanted Man' UK Trailer". firstshowing.net. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  12. ↑ A Most Wanted Man at Rotten Tomatoes
  13. ↑ A Most Wanted Man at Metacritic
  14. ↑ "Best Movies of 2014". RichardRoeper.com. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  15. ↑ Turan, Kenneth (24 July 2014). "Taut 'A Most Wanted Man' showcases Hoffman's final performance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
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