This won't be the first time I've admitted that I don't usually like action/crime/cop films. They are often far too complex for their own good, lacking in substance, and acted woodenly. I also often find myself unable to care about the plights of whichever detective is on the case. They are usually cocky smooth-talkers with attitude problems who somehow manage to pull a very classy and professional lady who is way out of their league. But of course, A Most Wanted Man is based on the novel by renowned author John LeCarré, who is famous for his perfect, finely-tuned spy literature. He also happens to be my dad's favourite author, and so I've had some interesting discussions with the old man about this particular piece (who reminded me that I, in fact, got him the novel for Christmas several years back!) A Most Wanted Man is a very exciting, twisting story with a particularly good cast - and notably Hoffman's final lead role before his tragic death this year.
The film takes off on a note sure to induce instant anxiety and paranoia - mention of the 9/11 attacks, which were in part planned in Hamburg, resulting in the city being on constant high alert to avoid any similar incidents in the future. I have never been to Germany, which is perhaps why I was so simply surprised at the portrayal of Hamburg - it could have been Hackney, The Bronx or any other rough and run down city area. Graffiti on the walls, trash bags piled up in the streets, a real sense of poverty and sickness is present. An ominous-looking bearded man is spied skulking around Hamburg, and espionage agent Gunther Bachmann (Hoffman) is advised of his illegal status in the country, and his potential terrorist activity. Bachmann emphasises that he and his team are not policemen, but spies, and that 'German law doesn't allow us to do our jobs.' This means they have to work twice as hard as their counterparts, American attache Sullivan (Robin Wright) and German security officer Mohr (Rainer Bock), who give Bachmann 72 hours to catch the terrorist his way, before they step in and do it their way.
The bearded man, Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), is taken in by a kindly mother and son in Hamburg. He is a Muslim convert, despite his Chechen heritage, and the son of a money laundering tyrant. He seeks asylum in Germany, and is put into contact with a lovely lawyer (Rachel McAdams) who represents charity cases. For whatever reason, lawyer Annabel ends up taking huge personal risks for Issa's safety, eventually smuggling him to her brother's empty apartment. On Issa's behalf, she seeks out banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) for whose father Karpov Sr used to launder money, and who is in the position to give Issa his father's fortune. The fortune is known to Bachmann, who seems hellbent on avoiding Issa's acquisition of it.
The story is a portrait of accusation. To every authority figure, Issa is a dangerous terrorist who must be captured before all hell breaks loose. The more down to earth characters are the ones who get to know him on a personal level, and hence the only ones who doubt his guilt. The Muslim family he lives with initially are totally endearing, and Annabel later has deep, probing conversations with him, uncovering his traumatic past, why he hates his father and why he wants to give his entire fortune away to charity. The pathway of the story twists and turns all over the place, all the while we as an audience don't quite know who we trust, who we like, and who we are rooting for. A crisscrossing cat and mouse chase ensues after Issa, with people changing alliances and being used to others' advantage at a speed-dating pace.
As mentioned, I usually don't care about the cop's mission, and I usually don't care about the journey it entails. This one was different. The movie works at a decent pace throughout, and within the last fifteen minutes of its two hour running time, it becomes evident that everything is winding up toward someone emerging victorious. Bachmann has recruited who he needs, and his highly illegal operation to catch Dr Abdullah - a philanthropist higher up the terror chain who funds weapons and is about to receive Issa's charitable donation - is all about to come to fruition. We feel so much has gone into this moment, but - in the apparent style of most LeCarré novels - the final minutes are the key to the whole thing. And how devastatingly it is pulled off!
Throughout, we come to respect the greasy-haired, chain-smoking Bachmann, who is mild yet relentless, and we want nothing more than for him to succeed. At last minute, everything comes crashing down spectacularly, and we are left just as shocked and dismayed as Bachmann. The film somewhat cunningly double-bluffs us too. By now used to the predictable monotony of any given film genre, there was a sense of more, unnecessary minutes to come after this. Surely we'd have to know more. But wait, it's been two hours. What's going to happen? The time's up. Exactly so. Nothing more need happen really. I always find it a welcome surprise when a movie ends at an appropriate place nowadays. The idea of a 90 minute running time seems to practically be a thing of the past. If you can't jack it up to two and a half hours at least, the audience will surely get bored? A Most Wanted Man proves, among other things, that there is a time and a place for everything in film, and the audience is left feeling more satisfaction, regardless of the film's content, when the story is told in an appropriate way.
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