A Most Wanted Man (2014) - Available for pre-order on Amazon

[Scottie]

A Most Wanted Man (2014)

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

[soarinsteven]

Really enjoyed this. Tense thriller that refreshingly avoided the usual display of needless gun violence and bloodshed. Great performances, and a terrific ending. Looking forward to picking this one up.

[Scottie]

Very good film with one of the most memorable endings of the year. Highly recommended!

[BaerGriggs]

Fantastic film and I'll definitely be picking it up soon, possibly on Black Friday. Hoffman was amazing and it definitely had that Le Carre spy movie feel to it.

[The Great Owl]

I made a blind buy of this Blu-ray tonight when I happened to be in a Walmart during a late night errand.

Because I have been a huge fan of Anton Corbijn's work since my teenage years, due to his videos and photographs with Joy Division, U2, Depeche Mode, and Echo and the Bunnymen, and because I love Corbijn's first two feature-length movies, Control and The American (my favorite movie of 2010), I think that A Most Wanted Man will be a pretty safe blind buy. I wanted to see this one at the theater a couple months back, but it left town before I made the trip.

[The Great Owl]

A Most Wanted Man, which stars the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in his final lead role and is based on the novel by John le Carré, is the third full-length film from director Anton Corbijn. I have been a longtime fan of Corbijn's work, dating back to his photographs, album covers, and music videos for bands like U2, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode during the 1980s and 1990s. Corbijn's first feature film, Control, was an impressive biopic of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division who committed suicide in 1980. Corbijn's second feature film, The American, which starred George Clooney, was my favorite movie of 2010, although that film's deliberately laconic tone did not appeal to many moviegoers on these shores. Like The American, A Most Wanted Man showcases Corbijn's stunning visual talents and employs a luxuriously low-key pacing style that rewards the patient viewer with an intense payoff.

Hoffman plays an experienced German spy who leads a team of operatives in Hamburg to gather intelligence from the Muslim community for anti-terrorism efforts in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. When a Chechen refugee arrives in the city and contacts an immigration lawyer, played by Rachel McAdams, he arouses the suspicion of Hoffman's character, who is also involved in the tracking of a philanthropist who may be funding terrorist activities. Hoffman delivers one of most effectively subtle roles of his career, and the movie's true tension is found in observing how his character's goals conflict with those of German security forces and an American agent played by Robin Wright. The film's bleak outcome may strike many viewers as a heavy-handed criticism of the American war on terror and the increased focus on security at the expense of personal freedoms, but I prefer to interpret it as a more intimate depiction of how differing viewpoints on how to keep the world safe can derail noble intentions by all involved parties. This film provides some fascinating food for thought, regardless of one's outlook on world events, and the intelligent script is given a vivid urgency by Anton Corbijn's camera eye in such a way that that every still frame image could stand alone as a work of art.

This Lionsgate Blu-ray provides impressive video and audio presentations that bring out the best in Anton Corbijn's talents and in the creative use of music during pivotal sequences. The film style of this particular movie may raise a few eyebrows, but the transfer seems faithful to the source material and it succeeds as a triumphant tip of the hat to one of the most interesting directors in contemporary cinema. The two short supplementary features pack a lot of information into just a few minutes, and the fun interview footage with Hoffman is a bittersweet reminder of a talent whose story ended too soon.

[Yojimbo68]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

A Most Wanted Man, which stars the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in his final lead role and is based on the novel by John le Carré, is the third full-length film from director Anton Corbijn. I have been a longtime fan of Corbijn's work, dating back to his photographs, album covers, and music videos for bands like U2, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode during the 1980s and 1990s. Corbijn's first feature film, Control, was an impressive biopic of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division who committed suicide in 1980. Corbijn's second feature film, The American, which starred George Clooney, was my favorite movie of 2010, although that film's deliberately laconic tone did not appeal to many moviegoers on these shores. Like The American, A Most Wanted Man showcases Corbijn's stunning visual talents and employs a luxuriously low-key pacing style that rewards the patient viewer with an intense payoff.

Hoffman plays an experienced German spy who leads a team of operatives in Hamburg to gather intelligence from the Muslim community for anti-terrorism efforts in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. When a Chechen refugee arrives in the city and contacts an immigration lawyer, played by Rachel McAdams, he arouses the suspicion of Hoffman's character, who is also involved in the tracking of a philanthropist who may be funding terrorist activities. Hoffman delivers one of most effectively subtle roles of his career, and the movie's true tension is found in observing how his character's goals conflict with those of German security forces and an American agent played by Robin Wright. The film's bleak outcome may strike many viewers as a heavy-handed criticism of the American war on terror and the increased focus on security at the expense of personal freedoms, but I prefer to interpret it as a more intimate depiction of how differing viewpoints on how to keep the world safe can derail noble intentions by all involved parties. This film provides some fascinating food for thought, regardless of one's outlook on world events, and the intelligent script is given a vivid urgency by Anton Corbijn's camera eye in such a way that that every still frame image could stand alone as a work of art.

This Lionsgate Blu-ray provides impressive video and audio presentations that bring out the best in Anton Corbijn's talents and in the creative use of music during pivotal sequences. The film style of this particular movie may raise a few eyebrows, but the transfer seems faithful to the source material and it succeeds as a triumphant tip of the hat to one of the most interesting directors in contemporary cinema. The two short supplementary features pack a lot of information into just a few minutes, and the fun interview footage with Hoffman is a bittersweet reminder of a talent whose story ended too soon.

Great review! I saw this film in the theatre. It was a breath of fresh air and it was nice to take a break from all those superhero flicks. I thought The American was great movie and this was a terrific follow up. Hoffman gives a wonderful performance. While I have not seen Gone Girl yet, I'd put this film and Nightcrawler as the best films I've seen so far this year.

[Rinzler]

This was a breathtaking film. Can't wait to pick it up.

[John_Drake]

A fabulous film, will definitely be getting this.

[kryptonite1970]

Saw this film last night and it was entertaining.