Review: A Most Wanted Man

One would not think the signing of a document would be cause for suspense but indeed it is in the meticulously crafted espionage drama A Most Wanted Man.

The film opens in Hamburg the city in which, as the prologue explains, Mohammad Atta planned the 9/11 attacks without interference due to intelligence failures and interdepartmental rivalries. Intent on not repeating their mistakes, both German and international intelligence services have kept close watch on any potential terrorist activities. Into this atmosphere of paranoia arrives Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a half-Muslim, half-Chechen twenty-six-year-old escaped militant jihadist sought by Gunther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Bachmann is a German spy heading up a small intelligence team tracking Hamburg's Muslim community. For him, Karpov is bait for a far larger fish: Dr. Faisal Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi), a well-respected Muslim community leader Bachmann suspects of funding terrorists. The problem is rival agencies want their hands on Karpov and they would rather Bachmann focus on Abdullah. There's also Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright), the American CIA operative breathing down Bachmann's neck and who seems to be playing both sides. Then there are the small but important pawns in Bachmann's game: German banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) and human rights lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) - the former obligated to fulfill Karpov's claim to his late father's estate and the latter intent on protecting Karpov even if the circumstances are more than she bargained for.

Based on John le Carré's novel, A Most Wanted Man harks back to the pre-Cold War thrillers before Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt were adrenalised for the MTV generation. This is a deliberately paced, subdued and nuanced tale with no false drama or unnecessary hysterics. These spies, who hold meetings in conference rooms with capsule-shaped windows, take their time. They watch, they wait, they ask questions and scrutinise the answers. As such, the signing of a document is a tense moment for Bachmann's team - the signature is the final piece of evidence they need for success.

The cast are excellent with Dobrygin an especial standout as the haunted and hunted Karpov. His scenes with McAdams are both tense and tender, and seemingly minor gestures - his slight smile or the way he nudges her hand to close - speak volumes. Then there is the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman anchoring the fifty shades of gray surroundings and maneuverings with muted panache, spirited intelligence and a certain resignation that collateral damage is inevitable.

A Most Wanted Man

Directed by: Anton Corbijn

Written by: Andrew Bovell; adapted from the John le Carré novel

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