A Most Wanted Man movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews...

A Most Wanted Man is based on the book of the same name by John Le Carre, who also wrote Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the Constant Gardener. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Mcadams, Willem Dafoe, Nina Hoss, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Daniel Bruhl, and Robin Wright. The film follows a German anti-terror division in Hamburg, who are trying to apprehend a possible threat.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nina Hoss

With a cast as good as that, the performances in the film are gonna be one of the first things on my mind. First off, Philip Seymour Hoffman was absolutely fantastic in the film, he was totally convincing, and he fit the character perfectly. The supporting cast mostly does a really good job as well, featuring great standout performances from Willem Dafoe and Grigoriy Dobrygin. However, hen you have a cast of characters who are mostly German played by actors who don't have a German accent, sometimes it doesn't work. While Hoffman and Dafoe managed to get the accent perfectly, in some of the supporting roles like Rachel Mcadams It wasn't as convincing.

Rachel Mcadams and Grigoriy Dobrygin

One of A Most Wanted Mans strongest suits is its script. A lot of spy thrillers tend to get really bombastic and unrealistic, with crazy twists tossed around, and this film doesn't do that. It keeps it simple, it keeps itself contained, which helps the film maintain a realistic tone. The dialogue in the film is also fantastic, and also maintains that realistic tone. This film reminded me of House of Cards in some aspects, with its sense of realism and the sense that the writers did a lot of research for this film to make it accurate.

Robin Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman

The only main fault I could see some people having with this movie is its pacing. With a film that is realistic and down to Earth, there's not lot of action. Although the movie is paced well, it's not jagged or convoluted, it's slow for sure. It's two hours of a lot of talking and espionage, which might bore some people. Me, I love espionage films so I don't mind, but it's something I should bring up.

Final Rating
A Most Wanted Man is a really good espionage thriller, featuring great performances and an engaging plot. If you're a fan of House of Cards, I'd say go see this film if you can, because it's definitely a movie for House of Cards fans.

A Most Wanted Man: 4.4/5