Synopsis
Justin Quayle is a low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife Tessa is killed he becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy.
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Cast
- Ralph FiennesJustin Quayle
- Rachel WeiszTessa Quayle
- Danny HustonSandy Woodrow
- Bill NighySir Bernard Pellegrin
- Pete PostlethwaiteLorbeer
- Richard McCabeArthur Hammond
- Donald SumpterTim Donohue
- Juliet AubreyGloria Woodrow
- Hubert KoundéDr. Arnold Bluhm
- Archie PanjabiGhita Pearson
Recommendations
- 91
Entertainment Weekly
The movie is smart, serious, and adult about something that matters, but not at the expense of a kind of awful, sensual revelry as le Carré's capacious plot hurtles to its big finish. - 90
Film Threat
The film is able to be a thriller, a political statement and a haunting romance all at once. - 90
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Ralph Fiennes gives one of the year's subtlest, yet most exciting, screen performances. - 88
Rolling Stone
Director Fernando Meirelles and screenwriter Jeffrey Caine put a human face on John le Carre's novel of sex, lies and dirty politics in modern Africa. Prepare for a thrilling ride. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
His (Fernando Meirelles) impressionistic, guerilla style of filmmaking works surprisingly well in capturing the hypnotic urgency of le Carre's fiction. And his viewpoint is less British and more Third World. - 80
Variety
Succeeds in capturing the book's essential themes and concerns, albeit in a hectic style that could not be more antithetical to that of the literary master of international intrigue. - 80
L.A. Weekly
A smart, beautiful piece of storytelling, attentive to Le Carré's broad intent, while boldly taking a knife to his more egregious longueurs. - 75
Premiere
With almost palpable anger, Meirelles hammers home the point that crushing poverty is only one problem for Africa that the West needs to do something about.
