A Most Wanted Man (2014)

A Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror.

Director:

Anton Corbijn

Writers:

Andrew Bovell (screenplay), John le Carré (novel)

Stars:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Daniel Brühl

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Grigoriy Dobrygin	...	Issa Karpov
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Günther Bachmann
Homayoun Ershadi	...	Abdullah
Mehdi Dehbi	...	Jamal
Neil Malik Abdullah	...	Abdullah's Bodyguard
Nina Hoss	...	Irna Frey
Daniel Brühl	...	Maximilian
Vicky Krieps	...	Niki
Kostja Ullmann	...	Rasheed
Franz Hartwig	...	Karl
Martin Wuttke	...	The Admiral
Vedat Erincin	...	Storekeeper
Rainer Bock	...	Dieter Mohr
Derya Alabora	...	Leyla Oktay
Tamer Yigit	...	Melik Oktay

Storyline

When a half-Chechen, half-Russian, brutally tortured immigrant turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community, laying claim to his father's ill gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man's true identity - oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist? Based on John le Carré's novel, A MOST WANTED MAN is a contemporary, cerebral tale of intrigue, love, rivalry, and politics that prickles with tension right through to its last heart-stopping scene.

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Plot Keywords:

war on terror | intelligence | illegal immigrant | muslim | torture | 

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA Germany

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

1 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hombre más buscado

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,686,526 (USA) (25 July 2014)

Gross:

$17,198,888 (USA) (17 October 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ink Factory, The, Potboiler Productions, Amusement Park Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's story is set in Hamburg. Source novel author John le Carré worked for British intelligence's MI5 & MI6 during the 1950s and 1960s and worked in both Berlin and Hamburg. Le Carré was in Berlin when the Berlin Wall was being constructed. In Hamburg, Le Carré has worked as both a consul and as an agent.

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Goofs

When Richter presents Brue with the account number, the handwriting does not appear to have been written in the German style of handwriting (in particular, the number '1' is written as a straight line, rather than a hooked, like "7").

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Quotes

Günther Bachmann: Go where? Go where?

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Robin Wright/Josh Charles/Weezer (2014)

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Soundtracks

Hoist That Rag
Written by Kathleen Brennan and Tom Waits
Performed by Tom Waits

User Reviews

A Definite Must-See

There's not very many movies I've seen in the past year that measure up as well as A Most Wanted Man. Granted, I've seen a lot of fun or interesting films that I definitely enjoyed, but this one really hits the mark in a way that others didn't. It transcends being entertaining and becomes its own sort of enigma. But I don't want to give the impression that it's hard to understand, because it certainly isn't. The plot is easy to follow (once you get used to the German accents), and each character has their own tendencies that you pick up on quickly, but I never quite knew what was about to happen. I was kept on my toes, or on the edge of my seat rather, and I appreciated how unpredictable it was.

Set in Hamburg, Germany, it centers around a secret group of anti-terrorism operatives lead by Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman). After coming across a brutally tortured Chechen immigrant who turns up in the local Islamic community, and is laying claim to his father's corrupt fortune, they attempt to establish his true identity and motives. And with the US taking close interest as well, it becomes a slow-burn thriller that unfolds with a huge amount of style and elegance.

It's the kind-of movie you'd want to curl up by the fireplace and watch on a cold December night. Hoffman (who is never not smoking a cigarette in this) delivers one of the best performances in his career, rivaling his role in Capote. And the direction by Anton Corbijn is outstanding, giving it a sharp and neat feel that carries throughout. The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's a definite must-see.