Movie Review: ‘A Most Wanted Man’

Robin Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman in A Most Wanted Man
© 2014 – Roadside Attractions

“Mr. Karnov is not the bad guy, he’s our way to the bad guy,” says Gunther Bachman (Philip Seymour Hoffman), head of a German spy ring, to Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright), a CIA officer who’s also following a half-Chechen, half-Russian illegal immigrant who might be a terrorist in the spy thriller, A Most Wanted Man.

When Issa Karnov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) turns up in Hamburg’s Islamic community looking to collect his father’s blood fortune, it causes both the German and United States security agencies to take a special close interest in him. Not knowing if Issa is an oppressed victim struggling for a new start or a destruction-bent terrorist, Bachman and his elite team work to keep him under surveillance without letting on he’s being followed. When Issa makes contact with Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) a liberal lawyer who’s helped illegal immigrants before, she agrees to help him find his father’s fortune.

Bachman believes Karnov will eventually lead them to a powerful, respected businessman who secretly helps fund terrorists through legal channels. He sights his sights on Annabel, who Karnov has fallen for, to kidnap and eventually turn to their side and manipulate Karnov into helping set a trap for the real terrorist.

Based on the novel by John le Carre, A Most Wanted Man is a spy drama that has wonderful performances from its A-list cast who deserve a much better script. Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers a fantastic performance as Gunther Bachman, the German spy who trusts almost no one and will do whatever it takes to find the man financing terror cells around the globe. He steals every scene he’s in.


Rachel McAdams delivers a solid, complex performance as Annabel Richter, the young liberal lawyer who at first just represents Karnov as his attorney and then goes above and beyond helping him elude capture from the authorities and finally finds herself beginning to have feelings for him. Robin Wright is perfectly cast as Martha Sullivan, the sly CIA officer who is eager to earn Gunther’s trust and work with him for the greater good of both their countries. Both Wright and Hoffman have solid chemistry as two unlikely, distrusting allies whose current mission demands they work together if they are to succeed.

The biggest problems with the film, however, lie with the weak script and the tedious pacing, most noticable in the second half of the film. What should be a smart, suspenseful spy thriller becomes a painfully slow and highly predictable yawn of a film. Once McAdams’ character Annabel gets abducted by Gunther and his team, the movie – which had been mildly interesting – slams on the brakes and moves at a snail’s pace to set up and deliver an over-obvious resolution. There is also never any doubt about the real intentions of Karnov, the tortured soul still trying to atone for the horrible sins of his father who has become a pawn in the spy agencies chess game of hunting terrorists.

Predictable and plodding, A Most Wanted Man is a forgettable spy drama minus any real thrills or action.

GRADE: C-

A Most Wanted Man is rated R for language.