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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 The mundane tragedy of espionage familiar to le Carre's Cold Warriors has been replaced by farce with the collapse of the Soviet Union.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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81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The Tailor of Panama teeters from drama to farce to thriller to delicious black comedy, and delivers on all fronts.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
03/30/01
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Has a lot of wry, twisted humor.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/30/01
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Many spy capers lose their intended irony and wry black humor, but The Tailor of Panama stays stylishly on target in ways that would put a heat-seeking missile to shame.

comment Comment
03/30/01
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe

Often darkly witty.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
03/30/01
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

A clever, consistently engaging thriller with complex characters who struggle with various alterations of the truth.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/30/01
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A cut above the preposterous action spectacles that now pass for espionage films...

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/30/01
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Despite a dissatisfying conclusion, a sense that things don't completely jell, The Tailor of Panama is lively and provocative.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/29/01
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

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

Energetic and inventive, it's a satirical, smart, grown-up thriller.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
03/29/01
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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

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

What's most unnerving about The Tailor of Panama is the film's overall tone, which wavers uncomfortably between modest thrills and modest farce.

comment Comment
03/29/01
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
New Times

Those expecting a Bond-like thriller may be disappointed, but this deviously witty diversion deserves to be appreciated for what it is.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
03/29/01
Kevin Maynard
Kevin Maynard
Mr. Showbiz

Overambition is a rarity in spy thrillers nowadays. If The Tailor of Panama doesn't quite gel, the attempt is still worth savoring.

comment Comment
03/29/01
Rene Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald

All the actors seem to be having a great time. You will, too.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
03/29/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

If it wasn't for the extraordinary acting by Rush, Curtis, and especially Brosnan, it wouldn't have been as nearly as entertaining.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
03/29/01
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

In a world full of off the rack thrillers, it's fine boutique quality.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
03/29/01
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

A nice fit.

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

Stylish, sly and sophisticated, a classy adult film redolent of that satirical spy spoof Our Man in Havana.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
03/29/01
Jane Sumner
Jane Sumner
Dallas Morning News

In a period devoted to digital spectacle, it's almost a shock to come across a film grounded in complex characterizations, subtle plot twists and deep moral ambiguity.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
03/29/01
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Citysearch
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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