A Most Wanted Man
A Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror.
Cast
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Günther Bachmann
Rachel McAdams – Annabel Richter
Willem Dafoe – Tommy Brue
Grigoriy Dobrygin – Issa Karpov
Robin Wright – Martha Sullivan
Derya Alabora – Leyla
Daniel Brühl – Max
Tedious
I honestly felt like I’d wasted my time going to see this movie. It was one of the most tedious displays I’ve ever had to sit through. Before going to see A Most Wanted Man, I had a feeling it would be an exciting, intriguing piece of cinema.
It wasn’t.
It was literally like watching TV at home on a Sunday evening and landing on a Channel 4 mini-drama as you flick around to see what’s on – and immediately switch off due to the mini-drama you landed on not being satisfying enough. And that is exactly how I’d describe A Most Wanted Man: not satisfying enough.
In a nutshell: Philip Seymour-Hoffman swaggers around the screen, constantly puffing a cigarette whilst discussing the case he is working on with various other characters. His dull, monotone Russian voice nearly sent me to sleep instead of wanting to listen to what he was saying – no dynamic there whatsoever. His character couldn’t have been less interesting as the scenario that unfolded on screen was nothing I haven’t seen before; a wayward asylum seeker and his over-sympathetic lawyer who decides to get herself into trouble by helping him, a group of undercover agents who undertake a case with firey dedication and enjoy throwing jokes at each other about their love lives, and the token (only American in the building) smartly-suited police officer who seems to tread on everyone’s toes as she goes about the case ‘in her OWN way..’.
What a load of recycled SHIT, seriously. Not one scene in this movie entertained me – everything just happens, and that’s it. The movie fades into vision and flows along subtly, before fading out.
But what went right?
Something must’ve gone right?
Right?…
Watchable
The bearable parts of this movie were watchable. As in ‘no need to concentrate’ – and that’s exactly what I found myself doing. A Man Most Wanted is an easy watch; you have your main protagonist and your plot, and the rest unfolds without any scene jumps or messy action. In this sense, its structured nicely – it just seemed to lack the element of tensity, and I think this was down to how simple and obvious the plot actually was. I mean, who needs a film full of suspense-fuelled action when the audience are more or less prepared for what’s going to happen?
Fans of talky (there’s lots of dialogue here) detective shows such as CSI Miami, Silent Witness, etc. should enjoy this movie. It involves a lot of people walking around scowling, whilst discussing the in’s and out’s of Police business.
Rachel’s Input
I wondered if she’d deliver. And she did.
Rachel McAdams stars as Annabel, a German immigration lawyer who goes to great length to help Issa – the refugee from Chechnya – who she eventually takes under her wing.
Quite literally, the moment Rachel appeared on screen, I breathed a sigh of relief. Her sweet face shattered the dull atmosphere as I instantly recognised the actress. She was a pleasant addition to the cast, bringing with her an authentic German accent which sounded strange – but convincing. Rachel maintains a solid performance throughout, her best scene being Annabel’s interrogation in a high-security cell as she sits nervously answering (or rather not answering) demanding questions about Issa put to her by Bachmann and his agents.
Rachel’s on-screen chemistry with Grigoriy was faultless, the pair displaying a genuine, tense relationship. They were the stars of the show, but Rachel was certainly the best member of the cast overall.
A Most Wanted Man definitely taught me to never judge a book by its cover, because the poster looked great. The movie was AWFUL. I’ve had more fun on the toilet.
It is a subtle yet extremely dull portrayal of a refugee’s struggle for citizenship, Seymour-Hoffman not helping by walking around (very slowly) mumbling in an excruciatingly boring German accent.
Nothing much happens here at all in terms of plot, and what does unfold on screen is nothing different to what I’ve seen before on TV programmes such as A Touch Of Frost or Inspector Morse.
This movie was an absolute bloody shambles, and if Alan Sugar could sit in front of a table of film directors, I’m 95% sure the finger would point right at Anton Corbijn as the fateful words are announced.. “you’re fired”.
One of the most boring things I’ve ever sat through at the cinema.
I would certainly not pay to see this movie. I would wait until its on TV. Ironically.
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