The Tailor of Panama
It is possible for a movie to be too smart for its own good.That might explain why both the folks at Columbia Pictures and would-be moviegoers haven't been able to wrap their brains around the film version of John LeCarre's 1996 spy novel, "The Tailor of Panama."
Columbia Pictures decided to "platform" the film's release in theaters — testing the waters, if you will — to see how it would go over.
And it's not that today's audiences aren't intelligent. But it's within the realms of possibility that they don't know what to make of this film, which is a lot more comedic than the majority of adaptations of LeCarre's material (probably because he co-wrote the screenplay himself).
Yet some of that humor is so subtle, so sly, that it may come across as being serious and straight-faced, though it's actually meant to be laughed at.
But then it's also possible that Pierce Brosnan parodying his James Bond character might be too much for some to handle. He stars as Andy Osnard, an unsavory British spy who's been "exiled" to Panama in a last-ditch attempt to rehabilitate him.
The thinking is that maybe he'll resist temptation in a less-familiar environment as well as perform some valuable surveillance on that country's government. Instead, he quickly finds trouble in the form of the title character, Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush).
So Harry hastily concocts a story about a "silent opposition," a shadowy, freedom-fighting organization that he claims is headed by his close friend Mickey (a nearly unrecognizable Brendan Gleeson), and which is threatening to take back the Panama Canal from the corrupt government.
To his surprise, Andy believes the tale and uses that information for a scheme of his own. Unfortunately, the lie continues to grow and soon threatens to start hostilities between Panama and the United States.
Despite its sometimes unfortunate reliance on four-letter dialogue and sexual material, this is a throwback to the more complex thrillers of the past. It also bodes well for any possible future collaborations between LeCarre and John Boorman, a director who's never made a film that wasn't worth watching.
Part of that is also due to the fine performances. Though Brosnan threatens to steal the show as the grimy, unrepentant but suave spy, Aussie actor Rush is his match as the panicky pathological liar.
There are also good supporting turns by Curtis, British character actor Gleeson and Chilean actress Leonor Varela.
(And for the trivia obsessed, the cast also includes young Daniel Radcliffe, also known as the Actor Who Will Be Harry Potter, as Harry's son.)
"The Tailor of Panama" is rated R for occasional strong profanity, simulated sex, violence (war crimes, seen in flashbacks), nudity (female and some fleeting male partial), crude sexual references and humor, and brief gore. Running time: 109 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com