There’s something quite sombre about watching a film posthumously after an actor’s death, and its tragic when that lead actor is someone as brilliant as Philip Seymour Hoffman. He stars and dominates as a determined spy in ‘A most wanted man’ and despite his character being a depressed, alcoholic chain smoker, he is as convincing in the role as he is with his German accent.
The film revolves around the story of Issa, brilliantly portrayed by newbie on the scene Grigoriy Dobrygin, as a half Chechen /half Russian who enters Germany in a less reputable manner to claim his late father’s fortune following his death. This gets the attention of the authorities of both Germany’s intelligence agency and America’s C.I.A; thus begins a well told, well scripted and well shot spy thriller that explores the notion of religion versus extremism.
At the same time there is conflict within the authorities, with questions risen regarding trust and power. It leaves Seymour Hoffman’s character Gunther on the outside with issues of his own, trying to repair his tarnished reputation following a previous botched operation.
The delivery of the script and actor’s performances helps build the suspense needed from the lack of action scenes, with Director Anton Corbijn opting for long mid shot takes letting the dialogue flow, and the use of unnervingly slow piano music adds a whole layer of tension. The setting of Hamburg is fresh to see on a cinema screen, and is presented in a sort of grungy, misty hell-hole fit for the thematic tone of the story.
It is a cerebral narrative that leaves the audience to come to their own conclusions based off their own opinions or bias, and the true understanding and resolution does not come until the final moments of the film, it is a great cinema experience and is completely relevant to today’s current situation both overseas and at home.
A Most Wanted Manis now showing at Palace Electric Cinema, NewActon
