A Most Wanted Man (2014)



A Most Wanted Man (2014)

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss, Robin Wright, Grigoriy Dobrygin

Plot: A Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror.

My Review and Thoughts:

A nice thick thriller that sticks with you. Perfect cast. Brilliant tight mystery. A very smart espionage thriller that gives a solid plot, performances, and a dark tension filled reality that's logical and thoroughly believable.

Starring the late great master of acting Philip Seymour Hoffman. I still can't believe he is gone. He was such a talented and amazing actor. He was an extraordinary performer at anything he did. He acted in some of my favorite films from Happiness to Doubt and so many other's. This was his last leading role before his untimely death. It's a true shame. We lost a perfect actor to a brutal murderer that has caused so many greats to fall, drugs.

Directed by a perfect visionary Anton Corbijn. Adapted from the book by a powerful creator of story and intriguing imagination John le Carré. A wonderful book writer that has always kept me on the edge of my seat. This is another adaptation of a solid story turned into a thought provoking film. Anton Corbijn directed one of my favorite 2007 films, Control about the life of music pioneering god Ian Curtis of Joy Division.

The very charismatic Grigoriy Dobrygin plays the character of Issa Karpov a Muslim sought as a supposed terrorist who is the main focus of the story. In reality he is a man seeking a place to call home and a freedom away from the past and the idea of being a terrorist. Dobrygin is an amazing performer. An absolute wonderful new comer to the acting world. I think he owned the part and created a believable reality to his character.

A dark and gritty and mysterious atmosphere that is able to grab the watcher and send them on an interesting journey. A great character and a great performance for Hoffman to end his career on. I think what is so strong about the film is the slow burn and then ultimate build up to the conclusion. A solid ending to a solid film.

What makes it such an interesting and awesome film in my view point, is it's an espionage crime thriller that deals with a storyline and not the James Bond mentality of explosives and fire power and huge explosions. It actually deals with the plot. The story and the characterizations are built up and brought through with characters and situations that are real.

I think it’s an intelligent and smart and very sophisticated thriller/drama. A film that uses the relevant idea of the war on terror through the small means of meetings and closed doors and surveillance.


It's a believable tale. Solid film. Solid acting. Solid slow burn story that concludes with a perfect ease of clarity in truth. A film that lingers on your mind.