Wick's Review

Summary - Very Good 3.5

Noted mostly as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s cinematic swan song, A Most Wanted Man is also a clear-eyed look at the long twilight struggle that we in the West have with the Islamists who are trying to kill us. Hoffman goes deep – real deep – as a 21st century German intel officer trying to keep Hamburg safe from another Mohamed Atta, of 9/11 infamy. Like the post-9/11 Islamist attacks, the movie isn’t spectacular.

Some of that is casting (Rachel McAdams), some story (slow), some action (lack thereof). So the movie is more good for you than great to watch. I’m very happy to have seen it however, even if it wasn’t gripping like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the previous John le Carré screen treatment and the greatest spy movie ever.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, we’re unlikely to see your like again soon. Versatile and authentic to the end, even when absurdly faking a German accent for an American audience, he disappears in one of his final roles, shot shortly before he disappeared from his life. At least we’re left with his cinematic characters, of which the dogged Western spy in A Most Wanted Man is a seriously fitting finale.

Acting - Great 4.0

Philip Seymour Hoffman looks like a guy about to have a heart attack, when in fact he was a guy about to stick a needle in his arm through which to overdose on heroin. Playing a guy addicted to his job, chain smoking and spiking his tea from a flask, he was right at home in his final starring role. Esquire called it Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Final Disappearing Act.

Nina Hoss plays his gal Friday, a German beauty and terrific spy.

Rachel McAdams disappoints as a Judge’s daughter who now represents illegal immigrants. McAdams often disappoints, even when she doesn’t have to play German, which is a problem for PSH also.

Willem Dafoe and Robin Wright do better as two consummate pros, he a private banker, she a CIA heavy. They both have spectacular faces.

Mehdi Dehbi is touching as a Middle Eastern Muslim who is helping German intelligence resist Islamism. Dehbi is also impressing right now in the terrific new FX series Tyrant.

Film - Good 3.0

Anton Corbijn directing, from a Andrew Bovell screenplay of a John le Carré novel: more exposition than action.

Edge - Risqué 2.1

Reality - Glib 1.2

Defending the free West from the East’s misanthropically medieval wackos is a long twilight struggle, one that’s mostly frustrating, often muddled, occasionally ugly, but hopefully never again spectacularly tragic. A Most Wanted Man captures this as well as any Islamist War movie to date.

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