The British diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) meets the impulsive activist Tessa (Rachel Weisz) in a lecture, and briefly they get married and move to Kenya. When Tessa is brutally raped and murdered, Justin decides to investigate her death, disclosing a powerful secret involving corruption with the members of the British High Commission and corporations of pharmaceutical business.
"The Constant Gardener" is a complex, intelligent and strong political thriller. The plot recalls a Costa-Gravas movie, exposing a hypothetical abusive situation of corporations in a poor Third World country. Although being a fiction, the story is very realistic. Ralph Fiennes fits perfectly in the role of the calm Justin Quayle; the evolution of the versatile Rachel Weisz in her career is amazing and she has a stunning performance in the role of a passionate activist; and the Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, in his first work after "Cidade de Deus", uses the same style, with a work of camera that looks like a documentary. After the excellent "Hotel Rwanda", it is good to see another serious movie showing the poverty of people of Africa. One day, worldwide public opinion may be enlightened and press the United Nations for relevant help to this continent. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Jardineiro Fiel" ("The Faithful Gardener")
"The Constant Gardener" is a complex, intelligent and strong political thriller. The plot recalls a Costa-Gravas movie, exposing a hypothetical abusive situation of corporations in a poor Third World country. Although being a fiction, the story is very realistic. Ralph Fiennes fits perfectly in the role of the calm Justin Quayle; the evolution of the versatile Rachel Weisz in her career is amazing and she has a stunning performance in the role of a passionate activist; and the Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, in his first work after "Cidade de Deus", uses the same style, with a work of camera that looks like a documentary. After the excellent "Hotel Rwanda", it is good to see another serious movie showing the poverty of people of Africa. One day, worldwide public opinion may be enlightened and press the United Nations for relevant help to this continent. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Jardineiro Fiel" ("The Faithful Gardener")