The Tailor of Panama | Pierce Brosnan | A must see for so many reasons

The Tailor of Panama | Pierce Brosnan | Outstanding Subtle Spy Film

vhs video:

The Tailor of Panama

	The Tailor of Panama Pierce Brosnan Sony Pictures, 2002 average customer review:based on 108 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

A must see for so many reasons

This is an excellent adaptation of the book. The casting and acting is excellent. Pierce Brosnan is so good in this he should have won the Oscar. Geoffrey Rush is such an excellent actor and this role is perfectly suited to him. I can't help but think that this role may have ruined Pierce Brosnan for James Bond movies since this movie showed he could act, something the James Bond movies don't require.

Outstanding Subtle Spy Film

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I found it to be very interesting. Geoffrey Rush is very charismatic and rather incomparable in his performance as the Tailor of Panama.

This film was made as one of Brosnan's non-Bond films during his tenure as 007 and he expertly plays his British Intelligence part convincingly, very realistically and then some with no hint of the cinematic James Bond entrapping.

The plot is intriguing as Brosnan plants innuendo and false information through the connected Geoffrey Rush to accomplish his mission. Boorman gives us great character studies which are the foundation of this little gem of a film.

This is a long overdue film of substance from director John Boorman, the man who gave us EXCALIBUR (1981) and POINT BLANK (1967) and DELIVERANCE (1972).

for more information click here

Silent Heroism

John Le Carre is the master of slow-moving, intricately plotted mysterious doings in foreign lands. His method never fails to unnerve me, as I try to figure out what will happen next. What happens next is usally, as in The Tailor of Panama, a crescendo culminating in tragedy although not necessary a "win" for the bad guys. Often, a "lose" for the "good" guys, if a reader can figure out which is which. Which is why I love reading Le Carre and watching the subsequent movie or DVD or both.

Oh what a tangled web we weave.....

The story opens as British secret agent Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) is sent to Panama in disgrace. The cynical agent is determined to profit from his exile and enlists tailor Harry Pendel into his scheme. Pendel runs the highly sucessful Panama branch of the old Saville Row tailoring firm of Braithwaite's. Unfortunately for Pendel Osnard knows that there is no British firm of that name, and that Harry learned his tailor skills while in prison, serving time for a scheme planned by Pendel's shady uncle. Pendel has managed to lie his way into respectable society in Panama, he is tailor to many members of the government, including the President, and has managed to marry well and raise a family. In order to protect all he has Harry lies to Osnard, but this only compounds the problems.

This is an intriguing story, showing not the glamorous or James Bond adventure type of spy story, but more of the gritty Harry Palmer - Ipcress File sort of tale. Neither Pendel nor Osnard is particularly sympathetic, each has led the way to their destruction by their own misdeeds. The women in their lives are using the men for their own purposes, the government officals, Panamanian, British and American are all either corrupt or stupid or both.

The dvd includes some extras, including a director's commentary, an alternate ending and a short featurette that are interesting.
Jamie Lee Curtis turns in an excellent performance as Pendel's wife and fans of Daniel Radcliffe are treated to a brief, but well done pre Harry Potter performance.

This is not a 'fun' movie, it takes a certain amount of effort to follow the plot twists, to catch the subtle nuiances of the various characters but it is beautifully filmed, well acted and definitely worth the effort.

for more information click here

Living in the Tailors House

I remember seeing this movie when it was in theaters. I liked it but did not love it. It is a movie you have to pay attention to in order to follow along. At that time I didnt really care or think about Panama either.

I purchased it recently because I now live in Panama in the house that was used as the "Tailors" house (exterior only, inside was a set). Watching the film again was more interesting bacause I now understood and knew the concepts (control of the canal) and the area (panama city). They have some great shots of the city and canal in the movie, very "famous" areas.

Overall the movie still wasnt great, but was better the second time around.

for more information click here