Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes ('The English Patient') and Rachel Weisz ('Constantine') give electrifying performances in this gripping suspense thriller. A diplomat on the hunt for his wife's murderer uncovers a treacherous conspiracy that will destroy millions of innocent people - unless he can reveal its sinister roots. From the best-selling spy novel by John Le Carré comes this edge-of-your-seat story of murder, deception and revenge that critics are calling "...outstanding...dramatic...hair-raising..."
I love it when this happens. I’d already seen The Constant Gardener and knew I liked it, but I had an urge to watch it again and it seemed to take on a whole new level. On this occasion, I found it achingly brilliant.
Conspiracy thrillers such as this more often than not concentrate on the conspiracy, reducing the characters to fit and drive the main plot to a grand finale Where All Shall Be Revealed. There is nothing wrong with this, especially in a Bond movie where it’s merely an excuse to link up various set-pieces, but when the conspiracy is based on a grain of truth, you have to subscribe to and accept the writer’s viewpoint to fully appreciate what’s unfolding. A little bit of doubt goes a long and wrong way. Blood Diamond suffers from this.
The conspiracy at the centre of The Constant Gardener –African’s being used as unwitting test subjects for a drugs company- is developed by Jeffrey Caine from John Le Carre’s novel. It’s a fine adaptation that Le Carre has praised as “bearing little resemblance”, in a good way! It is fairly complicated, well researched, engrossing, but as with any other such plot, demanding. The clever thing in this case, is how it is hidden in a love story. As such, our belief in the politics and intrigue become secondary to our belief in Justin (Ralph Fiennes) and Tessa (Rachel Weisz), despite them being irrevocably linked.
In fact, the love story is shown in fractured memories, as it starts with the awful scene of Justin discovering his wife Tessa has been murdered. She was always the passionate driven one, determined to uncover the truth, while he is the quiet diplomat, avoiding being involved. He has to unpick his past with Tessa, coming to terms with several revelations and his own decisions, to understand how he should deal with the future. In a sense, it is a film of two halves, though beautifully fluid in their coming together. It’s such a clever and playful narrative that teases out the characters in such a way you might not be sure how to feel about them. That might be why a second viewing is in order. You know them better and the story takes on new meaning.
The photography is stunning and proves director Fernando Meirellies to be a unique talent. His previous film was City Of God, but that is no indicator of your reaction to this film. Looking at both films, he clearly has a way of matching the cameras movements to the nature of the plot. So whereas City Of God was intoxicating, sharp and powerful, The Constant Gardener has a smoother nature. His use of focus is frequently breathtaking, right from the abstract opening scene of Tessa’s vehicle coming to rest after an accident. We see only the tyre, only the conclusion of the action. Where City Of God was angry, this is poignant, full of longing.
I was reminded of this film after watching The Fountain and finally realising the brilliance of Rachel Weisz. Maybe I’m a bit slow, but The Mummy movies loudly distracted me from how good an actress she actually is! She is gorgeous and captivating in a difficult, Oscar winning role to balance. Her flirty outgoing nature supports the evidence she was having an affair; her soulful gazes at Justin diffuses it. She has to capture our imagination and indignation at once, and she does it. Ralph Fiennes has an even harder job, with a character that by nature is quiet and unassuming (preferring his plants to anything as vulgar as life!) and developing resilience, so he goes under our and the Academies radar, denied the plaudits he surely deserved (Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Capote, not withstanding). He is heartbreakingly real as he tugs the threads of his life back together and anyone who understands how tough grief is cannot fail to be overwhelmed. So much better than the obvious The English Patient. The two leads work together so well and the flashback to their first meeting an utter joy, followed by a sex scene that actually builds the characters. “Thank you... for this gift”, Justin says. “How very generous of me!”, exclaims Tessa. Dialogue throughout is brilliant, especially from Bill Nighy and Gerard McSorley.
They and the main plot comes to sharper focus in the second half and it is affecting, tense and powerful. The decision to actually film in Africa makes for a vibrant and real film, especially with a passionate cast of extras, though it never falls into the trap of becoming a faux documentary. A trust was set-up to support the areas used for filming as way of thank you and it’s a small price for such authenticity.
Ok, so I’ve gone on. A bit. But it shows how much I must regard this film when I can tell you it isn’t perfect. A couple of the supporting characters are a bit obvious, such as Justin and Tessa’s lawyer (Richard McCabe) and especially his annoying computer whizz son, Guido. Bill Nighy is fantastic, but over the top and a concluding scene might be a bit silly (still works though!). They’re balanced by perfunctory roles from Danny Houston and Herbert Kounde. Perception of them is essential to the plot though, which might explain their simple development. They are thriller characters, after all and concessions to the genre are needed somewhere!
There may be other gripes tucked away here and there, but it takes nothing away from a grown-up, ambitious film that is memorable and sublime, thanks to a passionate director and central performances that cut to the bone. Simply wonderful. Watch it, then watch it again. I certainly will.
Teen Wolf What's a high school kid got to do to be popular? Just let down his hair and howl! Starring Michael J. Fox ('Back to the Future') 'Teen Wolf' is an outrageous comedy about a shy teenager with more than a changing voice to contend with... he's a budding young werewolf! And when his new-found powers help him score at basketball - and with the popular girls - he has some pretty hairy decisions to make.
My Thoughts: OK... lets face it... Teen Wolf is far from award winning entertainment. But what it is... is good cheesy fun. Something to watch when you just want to sit back and enjoy. It is a real twist on the coming of age story. I think the whole werewolf idea is why I enjoy it so much... I definitely enjoy the monster movies... whether you can classify them as horror or not.
Episodes: Series One (2011/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia
2 entertain Video (United Kingdom)
Length:
196 min.
Video:
Widescreen 1.78
Audio:
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:
English
Plot: Matt LeBlanc plays a deliciously outrageous version of himself in this laugh-out-loud comedy from creators David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (Mad About You). Episodes offers a peek behind the curtain at the insanity of Hollywood. You'll never watch TV the same way again.
Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig) are a happily married English couple, who are also the successful creators of a hit British TV show. Their life seems complete. That is until a hugely powerful and charismatic US network president persuades them to move to LA to remake their show for American television. He's full of praise and promises "not to change a thing".
However, things begin to unravel as soon as Sean and Beverly arrive in LA. They discover that the network president has never even seen their show. To make matters worse, he insists that they replace their brilliant lead actor (Richard Griffiths), an erudite Royal Shakespeare veteran with... Matt LeBlanc! Sean and Beverly are appalled.
But the decision is out of their hands. Matt comes on board, and soon Sean and Beverly find themselves in a complicated triangle which threatens to destroy not just their TV show but also their marriage.
Episodes 1.01 Episode One Writer: David Crane (Created By), Jeffrey Klarik (Created By), David Crane (Writer), Jeffrey Klarik (Writer) Director: James Griffiths Cast: Matt LeBlanc (Matt LeBlanc), Stephen Mangan (Sean Lincoln), Tamsin Greig (Beverly Lincoln), John Pankow (Merc Lapidus), Kathleen Rose Perkins (Carol Rance), Richard Griffiths (Julian Bullard), Alejandro Postigo (Ernesto), Ben Miller (Ben Miller), Lou Hirsch (Wallace), Daisy Haggard (Myra Licht), Joseph May (Andy Button), Bruce Lester Johnson (Roger)
A promising start to a series, which looks like fun. I am curious how the next episodes will be, where Matt LeBlanc has a bigger role.
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May 18, 2024, 08:37:56 PM
