Movie Review - A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man *** (R) This attempt at an espionage thriller, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman as one of Germany’s top, yet underrated, covert anti-terrorist operatives offers a complicated, cerebral perspective on Europe’s handling of those threats, hampered by conflicting internal and external priorities and turf wars. Their own bureaucracies compete as much as cooperate; Interpol and other national intelligence services, including ours, muddy the waters even more.

A Chechen Muslim sneaks into Germany, claiming to be the son of a dead Russian honcho who left a whopping estate in one of their banks. The young man may be a terrorist; he may not be who he claims; he may really want his despised father’s money for some noble cause. No one can coordinate a plan for vetting his story that suits all the governmental factions or his lawyer (Rachel McAdams), who is trying to protect him from harm or deportation until this all gets sorted. Confusion abounds among the agencies and principals. The dangerous type.

The tone is more John Le Carre than Jason Bourne. The fact that English-speaking actors with adopted German accents (of varying consistency) are providing most of the dialog wears thin. The tale might have flowed more smoothly with actual Europeans speaking their own language, and subtitles for the rest of us. Thoughtful and suspenseful, triggering thoughts and questions about the reality we’re allowed to know of, compared to the range of gruesome realities likely passing under our radar, but ultimately a bit short on overall entertainment value. (7/25/14)