Movie Review: "A Most Wanted Man"

"A Most Wanted Man": B. If it were not for the fact that A Most Wanted Man stars Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his final roles before his accidental death last February, I may not have chanced viewing the movie.  The film is based on a novel by British spy novelist John le Carre, a writer whose stories I've usually found unfathomable and opaque.  The plot for the new story is, indeed, a tough one to follow at times, but Hoffman is a treat as usual and the other actors follow suit.

The story takes place in Hamburg which, as an introductory on-screen script explains, continues to be considered a hot spot for terror group cells and international intrigue ever since the 9-11 plane highjackings were plotted there.  Hoffman plays Gunther Bachmann, the head of a counter-terrorism group which runs independently from the German government's spy agencies.  There is a difference in philosophies and approaches between Bachmann's desire to be patient in hopes of nabbing the kingpins of the terror groups, versus Dieter Mohr's (Rainer Bock's) M.O. of acting quickly to take the bad guys off the streets, even if by doing so the chances of eventually catching the terrorists' leaders are greatly diminished, if not cancelled. Mohr, the local chief of the German intelligence agency, has a few meetings with Bachmann.  American CIA operative Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright) acts as a consultant.

To whom does the title of the movie refer?  There are a couple of possibilities.  The more logical choice, at least initially, is the Chechen, Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), the very first character to appear on the screen.  He arrives covertly in the dark of night, hidden on one of the dozens of boats landing in Hamburg's busy port.  Before long he comes under the wing of human rights attorney Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams), who connects him with a Chechen family living in the city squalor.  They give Karpov temporary shelter.  Ostensibly, Karpov has made his way to Hamburg to lay claim to a fortune which his deceased father has stowed in a Hamburg bank administrated by Tommy Brue (the enigmatic Willem Dafoe).

The other possibility is Dr. Faisal Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi), known to the general public as a philanthropist, but suspected by both Bachmann and Mohr of being a money launderer and an expediter for the channeling of funds to terrorist organizations.  Bachmann considers Abdullah the big fish in the terrorists' network, as opposed to small potatoes Karpov.  Mohr, with a hesitant nod from Sullivan, agrees to sit tight for just three days while Bachmann tries to reel in Abdullah with concrete evidence set up by means of a sting.

It's unclear what Bachmann's official title is or who he's working for.  I assumed at first he was connected with a British spy agency, I guess mostly because of the story's connection to le Carre.  But Bachmann's first name is Gunther, he speaks with a Germanic accent, and neither he nor any of his crackerjack team give any hint of affiliation with the Brits.  Upon further review, it appears Bachmann's operations are financed under the table by the Germans, who would probably disavow any connection if Bachmann or his group did anything illegal.  He is merely tolerated, albeit respected, by Mohr.  Bachmann operates in plain view, yet has his secrets just like Abdullah.

There are two parts of the movie, both involving attorney Richter, in which a character's movement is restrained for a long (too long!) period of time.  One of those occurs when Richter stashes Karpov away in an apartment abandoned by one of her relatives (as if the intelligence agencies would never think to look there).  The other occurs when Bachmann's underlings kidnap Richter off the street and confine her to a holding cell, during which time they attempt to convince her to spill the beans on Karpov's whereabouts. "You're more of a terrorists' social worker than a lawyer," yells Bachmann.  If the director or editor could have found a way to trim those scenes by several minutes, the result would have been a better-paced story.

In order to accept and enjoy the climactic ending, you have to buy into what happens in Brue's bank a little before that.  I did not.  If counter-intelligence drama is one of your favorite genres, or if you can't get enough of Philip Seymour Hoffman, this movie will not disappoint.  Otherwise, you might wait for its arrival at the Hopkins Theater or Netflix.