150 Word Review: 'A Most Wanted Man' (2014)
I know a little German
A Most Wanted Man is a superb War on Terror-era spy thriller based on a novel by John le Carré. Like most of le Carré’s works, it is a complex, cynical story about betrayal. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as a methodical German secret agent who runs an anti-terrorist unit in Hamburg.
Directed by Anton Corbijn, A Most Wanted Man is a grim look at the moral compromises flawed, frightened people will make in the name of national security. Hoffman’s character is a gruff, chain-smoking, hard-drinking battering ram trying to stop another 9/11 while also holding on to his soul. He is effortlessly brilliant in the role.
It’s also a movie with two villains: terrorists lurking in the shadows and the brutish international American intelligence apparatus. Robin Wright is a smooth American spy with the power to crush anyone who gets in her way, be it an enemy or an ally.