A Most Wanted Man

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Anton Corbijn/Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Nina Hoss, Daniel Bruhl and Grigoriy Dobrygin

The opening titles in A Most Wanted Man tell us that after 9/11, Germany stepped up its anti-terrorist efforts, particularly in the port city of Hamburg. It was there that Mohammed Atta, one of the key architects of the World Trade Center attacks, orchestrated the horrific events that shook the world.

Corbijn's film, based on John le Carre's novel, tells the story of Gunther Bachmann (played by the late and very great Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a German anti-terrorist, anti-spy operative whose team has received word that a half-Russian, half-Chechen immigrant named Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) has turned up in Hamburg. Karpov, a Muslim who Bachmann believes may be connected to a Muslim terrorist cell, wanders the streets dressed in ragged clothes. His comings and goings are closely monitored by Bachmann and his team, as well as the local authorities and the U.S. government; who are represented by an anti-terrorist operative named Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright).

Bachmann and the head of the local law enforcement are not exactly simpatico; the former regards the latter with open contempt. While Sullivan becomes involved in Karpov's movements, she too shares an uneasy and mildly-adversarial relationship with Bachmann.

A German lawyer named Annabel Richter (played convincingly by none other than Rachel McAdams) who helps refugees seeking political asylum, comes to his aid. Aware that his origins and familial connections will no doubt draw the attention of the authorities, Richter finds Karpov temporary lodgings with a Turkish family. She learns Karpov's father was an associate of a German banker, whose son, Tommy Brue has inherited his own father's position as head of the bank. Richter and Karpov seek out Brue to claim money the Chechen's father left for him. The father was an officer in the Russian army and it is known by all that the money he bequeaths was acquired by illicit means.

Before long, Bachmann and his team find and apprehend Karpov and Richter. It is revealed that Karpov was tortured by the Russians--his grisly scars compelling proof--and is in no way a terrorist. Rejecting his inheritance, Karpov hopes to use the money for good and in doing so, helps set in motion an elaborate operation to ensnare a peaceful Muslim scholar named Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi) whose travel itinerary may be masking terrorist activity. Using his inheritance as a lure to help capture the scholar, a meeting is arranged whereby Karpov offers Abdullah a list of Muslim charities to whom he wishes to donate his money.

Because this is based on a le Carre novel, not everyone's actions are motivated soley by political or ideological concerns. A source of ignominy in Bachmann's past is a botched operation in Beirut; a failure Sullivan and others are only too quick to wield as a weapon of humiliation. He sees the success in the current operation as a means to redemption; to erase his failure.

As Karpov becomes a pawn in the operation and Abdullah the prey, interactions between Bachmann, the local police chief and Sullivan reflect mutual mistrust and competitive contempt.

Corbijn manages the intricacies of the story with skill; keeping the plot simmering and always moving forward without overwhelming the viewer with expository information. Like many spy films, Corbijn reaches for the visual default of grays and a muted color palette but it works, particularly for a location such as Hamburg.

It is particularly sad to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his last role. His riveting performance reminds us how poorer American cinema will be without him. As was his wont throughout his career, he never left the viewer doubting he was who he portrayed. His role as Gunther Bachmann is no exception.
The rest of the cast are no less top notch, especially McAdams, who seems to have left saccharine romantic-comedies behind her, at least for the moment. Dafoe always rivets one's attention while the exceptional German actors Nina Hoss and Daniel Bruhl lend their considerable talents to the drama. Though Hoss is terrific in a secondary role, I wish Bruhl had been given a more substantial part; his appearance seems more like a cameo.

The end seems inevitable and is a crushing twist; leaving us wondering who the good guys just might be. I really enjoyed everything about A Most Wanted Man. That it serves as a kind of curtain call for Hoffman seems appropriate, given his tremendous performance. The titles that appear onscreen after the film pay tribute to him. I wish his performance could have been one more in an ongoing career but at least Hoffman went out as he came into the movie scene: wearing his character's skin as his own. I'm glad his last appearance was in something as engaging and wonderfully crafted as Corbijn's film.