the last feature film from philp seymour hoffman rip
'nuff said - must see - but also anton corbijn as director
he with the sharp eye (u2 joshua tree is his claim to fame)
but also - the film set in hamburg - the city visited in 2014
based on a john le carre novel but that of no real consequence
i've not read the book so hoping that does not count against me
but - aware that a lot will be going on so concentration is needed
(and in this viewing on a tablet - a rewind/replay option is available)
the prologue text advising the 9/11 attacks were planned in hamburg
and since then the city has been in a heightened start of observation
the opening shot of a illuminated seawall advising the director's intent
a bloodied, dishevelled young man scrambles up and to a nearby car lot
cut to a poured glass of wine and then hoffman seen equally unkempt
examining a photo and on a phone call reassuring the caller in arabic
scenes then of the loner working his way into a bustling hamburg
filmed and identified as a chechnyan by gunther's (hoffman) allies
they part of a covert unit set up to infiltrate the muslim community
gunther seen at a public talk by abdullah - a high-profile muslim
appealing for donations to his charities and seemingly a pacifist
and then the final part of the character introductions plays out
seems gunther's unit is held in disregard by the local senior police
their boss and a visiting female american diplomat in gunther's ear
they have the chechynn on their radar also and give gunther 72 hours
their fear of a terrorist act - gunther wants to observe before acting
in the meantime issa the muslim has taken up with a muslim couple
they have hooked up with a young german left-wing female lawyer
she played by rachel mcadams - the cycnic says - eye-candy - tick
so - got it - all characters well defined and now ready to roll with it
it all looks good - sensing that director anton corbijn is all over it
the use of light, patterns, silhouettes, etc making an attractive film
though possibly over-playing the want to make a shambolic gunther
constantly smoking, messed up hair and clothing - shades of colombo
a realisation that the most wanted man is not issa the chechnyan muslim
gunther is gunning for abdullah - suspecting his charities fund al-qaeda
and it transpires that issa is in town to collect on a huge inheritance
which he has no call for and wants to donate to abdullah's charities
so the thot plickens - is he for real or is he also funding terrorism?
very well constructed actually and now clearly from a spy novel
some of it does seem unlikely - not helped by some of the acting
for me it's always difficult to get past americans playing foreigners
e.g. hoffman's german accent and rachel macadam's lack of accent
inconsistent - and william dafoe also in a role as a german banker
a big reminder that hollywood is bank-rolling this film-of-a-book
hard to not imagine a german made sub-titled film would be better
and so we are left with taking it for what it is - a commercial venture
that aside - and the director's want to impress - it's actually quite good
if flows like a book to a big climax - abdullah is set up and busted
gunther going undercover as a taxi driver to claim his big prize
but then his nemesis in the police steps in and cleans up
despair for gunther but a solid and clinical film ending
he then seen wandering off into the sunset of hamburg
a poignant departure for the actor playing the character
it's 2 hours long and i was pretty well fully entranced
kind of tempted now to read the john le carre book
but then again the film left nothing to question
which for me means it was a good adaptation
and the star - phillip seymour hoffman - vale
