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Movies / On DVD / The Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama

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The Tailor of Panama (2001)

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Reviews Counted:111

Fresh:86

Rotten:25

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: A smart and satrical thriller with an engaging cast.

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Pierce Brosnan stars as the anti-Bond in maverick director John Boorman's adaptation of legendary spy novelist John le Carre's seamy tour of post-Noriega Panama. A British intelligence agent whose... Pierce Brosnan stars as the anti-Bond in maverick director John Boorman's adaptation of legendary spy novelist John le Carre's seamy tour of post-Noriega Panama. A British intelligence agent whose taste for gambling and other men's wives has put him on the wrong side of his bosses at MI6, Andy Osnard (Brosnan) is posted to the backwater of Panama to atone for his sins. To that end, he recruits upscale tailor Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), leveraging the man's financial problems and questionable past to gain access to information about the activities of his elite clientele. Meanwhile, Osnard remains true to form, recruiting the personal services of lovely embassy official Francesca (Catherine McCormack), and attempting the same with Harry's wife, Louisa (Jamie Lee Curtis). When Harry's best friend Micki (Brendan Gleeson), a former member of the anti-Noriega underground, now a broken man, begins blustering about politics in front of Osnard, both of these con men begin to see him as the solution to their problems. The mundane tragedy of espionage familiar to le Carre's Cold Warriors has been replaced by farce with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Boorman creates an atmosphere redolent with U.S.-abetted corruption in this well written and acted film, which also features playwright Harold Pinter in a cameo role. [More]

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Gleeson

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Gleeson, David Hayman, Catherine McCormack, Harold Pinter, Leonor Valera, Dylan Baker, Daniel Radcliffe

Director: John Boorman

Director: John Boorman
Screenwriter: Andrew Davies, John Boorman
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Reviews for The Tailor of Panama

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film, for all its earnestness, snaky comedy, and would-be intelligence, never manages any real fizz.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/20/01
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/16/02
Jason Solomons
Jason Solomons
Daily Mail [UK]

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

A never-thrilling, occasionally amusing picture which wheezes badly, like a pig which has been shot but refuses to die.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/16/01
Michael Thomson
Michael Thomson
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
03/29/01
Ebert & Roeper

A nice fit.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
03/29/01
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

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Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
02/21/03
Hollywood.com

If the film's emotions are not always in balance, its clumsiness is also part of the fun.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/29/01
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Very talky -- fortunately, with actors like these and a script by Andrew Davies, Boorman and Le Carre himself, the talk is frequently good.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
03/30/01
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle

A sometimes-plodding, rarely inspiring or revealing and often confused spy drama that can't decide whether it wants to be quirky, smart, sexy, tense or all of the above.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/23/01
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

One big double entendre that's too jokey for its own good yet nevertheless is at times very amusing.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/02/01
Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne
Boxoffice Magazine

more a satire than a thriller

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
09/20/01
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

A sophisticated, subtle adult entertainment that is also a compliment to the audience.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
03/29/01
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com

In the midst of that fascinating, sad setting, Panama gives us great characters.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
03/29/01
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The Tailor of Panama is no more unlikely a tale than your typical Bond movie -- it's just a lot less fun.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/26/01
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Deceptively rich and intriguing.

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
02/21/02
Chuck Rudolph
Chuck Rudolph
Matinee Magazine

A clever alternative to high action and special effect flicks.

Full Review Source: CinemaSense.Com | comment Comment
03/30/01
Cornell & Petricelli
Cornell & Petricelli
CinemaSense.Com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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