2005 Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Justin Quayle is a low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife Tessa is killed he becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy.
Ralph Fiennes Rachel Weisz Danny Huston Bill Nighy Donald Sumpter Pete Postlethwaite Richard McCabe Hubert Koundé Daniele Harford Bernard Otieno Oduor Damaris Itenyo Agweyu Keith Pearson John Sibi-Okumu Archie Panjabi Gerard McSorley Juliet Aubrey Jacqueline Maribe Donald Apiyo Anneke Kim Sarnau Rupert Simonian
Simon Channing Williams Henning Molfenter Thierry Potok Tracey Seaward Jeff Abberley Julia Blackman Gail Egan Robert Jones Donald Ranvaud Jim Shamoon Mario Zvan
Scion Films Studio Babelsberg Epsilon Motion Pictures UK Film Council Focus Features Blue Sky Films Potboiler Productions
Rachel Weisz makes an even better couple with Voldemort than she did with Wolverine in ‘The Fountain’ and that’s saying something! No seriously, I love Weisz and she is again amazing in this, as is her partner. Both ensure their character with life and complexity to an extent that you rarely see in films of an all in all moderate length. ‘The Constant Gardener’ is as much of a study of these personas as it is a mystery slash thriller, but the story surely doesn’t suffer from the time and effort that is put into the development of these people. On the contrary, the plot is multifaceted, exciting and surprising. Most importantly, whereas many other similar sort of movies get trapped in plot holes, I was unable to identify one mistake or ambiguity in ‘The Constant Gardener’, it seems perfectly coherent and realistic too.
#4 of 12 films in my Adapted Screenplay Challenge (2)
Going into this 477-page novel, I had never read a book by John Le Carré before. In fact, I've read very few spy novels or political thrillers, and I really have no context of comparison for this work.
The story opens at the British High Commission in Nairobi. Sandy Woodrow, Head of Chancery, has just received news of the death of a compatriot, an aid worker named Tessa, near Lake Turkana and the Richard Leaky archaeological site. All evidence seems to indicate murder, and Woodrow has the unenviable task of checking the details and breaking the news to her husband, Justin Quayle, First Secretary in the Chancery, as well as…
The Constant Gardener is a master work of suspense brought on by ways of love and deceit.
A political thriller that kept me guessing where it was headed through all the lies and just how cool headed Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) would react to the truths of his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz) and her life and work even when his suspicions were on the highest of levels.
Politics are the evil that rules the world and it is showcased in this brilliant film.
Highly recommended.
There were a lot of things in this movie that should have worked on paper, but just didn't succeed when packaged together. The story itself is good, but it's framed all wrong. There was really no point in telling it from Ralph Fiennes' character's point of view, so the entire plot with Rachel Weisz just seems almost extraneous.
The fact that Rachel Weisz beat both Amy Lou Adams and Michelle Williams for this performance is truly.....remarkable considering she didn't do much!
Underlying the hidden surfaces where danger flows, Tessa an outspoken humanitarian and Amnesty activist is brutally murdered with her colleague Dr. Arnold Bluhm. The mystery is significant part of her work from her husband Justin who is a diplomat stationed in Kenya. After her death and rumors of Tessa having an affair surface, Justin starts to investigate what really got Tessa killed, what was she working on and who was he to her in all this.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles, the story unfolds in the past when Tessa met Justin and how they fell in love and married. Tessa has kept her job independent from Justin. Tessa is outspoken, confronting people in important positions while keeping an important secret for…
The Constant Gardener Review
"Do you no good to go poking around under rocks, Justin. Some very nasty things live under rocks, especially in foreign gardens." - Sir Bernard Pellegrin
The Constant Gardener takes it's name from the book it adapts and the fact that the main character is in the sense a "constant" gardener even though we only see him water plants and buy seeds. This film tries to mask itself as an intense revenger's tragedy with a spy thriller all throughout Kenya as a conspiracy about the lethal testing of drugs is tested on Africans. In reality if you focus on it, it's really just a melodramatic love story about a man who's trying to finish what his…
Meirelles doesn have the visual style needed for a Le Carre adaptation. A lot of it the blurry, handheld shots gave me a headache. You need a more steady hand. Haven’t read this particular book but it seems either the source material or screenwriter got too preachy, which took a lot of the power away from the story. The performances help save it some.
Many films of two hours or more overstay their welcome but this one is worth all its time. It has a good literary base to draw on and the right casting and direction.
It has a lot going for it, great performances and production, and a story with an agenda, but somehow lacks a certain weight to me.
Cinematography had some brilliant moments, but the overuse of the handheld camera made it feel difficult to digest the full potential of the beauty of the landscape. It was particularly frustrating because of the brilliant shots... It revealed the wasted potential of cinematography. I was not compelled by nor emotionally attached to any characters, which led to me feeling absolutely nothing at the emotional climaxes... I wish this movie wasn't connected to any plot at all. At least then, I could appreciate more fully the inspired moments of beautiful editing and great use of color.
This is a very solid political/conspiracy thriller/mystery. Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes are both outstanding. The writing and camerawork are heavy-handed, but the rich characters keep you fully invested.
- Mereilles' kinetic, naturalistic, style which he carries over from City of God occasionally gets in the way but in others, it is stunningly effective. Little things: In the beginning, her face is blurry and the background in focus while his face is razor sharp and behind him, an indistinct sea of lights. He sees little apart from himself, she sees everything but.
- This film carries the same deep-seated frustration at those who lose sight of the human cost of political and corporate maneuverings found in all of Le Carré's work and as always, it's a far cry from James Bond's brand of spycraft. But this time, it's not Tinker Tailor or A Most Wanted Man either. It is rawer and less restrained, both artsier and more conventional.
- Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz are two of the best actors working right now. Give them more lead roles.
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