Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man is a slow-burn spy-thriller (“slow” being the operative word) that deals with the bureaucratic drama endured by an anti-terrorism cell in Hamburg run by Günter Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a weary, wary agent whose drinking problem often suggests he’s incapable and inefficient. It’s the perfect role for the late Hoffman, who made an entire career out of playing proud sad-sacks who approached the world with equal parts fear and determination. While Bachmann likes to see the bigger picture, he is constantly pressured by his boss Dieter Mohr (Rainer Bock) who wants to make high profile arrests to please the public and the Americans (represented by a vicious passive-aggressive agent played by Robin Wright).
The latest clash between boss and employee comes in the shape of Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a Chechen-Russian immigrant who arrives in Hamburg with seemingly ominous purposes. While Mohr sees a perilous terrorist, Bachmann believes Karpov can serve as the perfect tool to get to a higher profile figure. Karpov gains the attention of humanitarian lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams with a British accent!) who intends to keep her client safe at all costs.
As interesting as the behind-the-scenes machinations can be (and this is on the same page as that other recent John le Carré adaptation Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) the problem with the film is that it suffers from terrible miscasting in the supporting parts, especially when it comes to Karpov, who is just too damn pretty to ever be menacing. It doesn’t help that he is lit by cinematographer Benoît Delhomme as the tortured album-cover boy of the bands Corbijn photographed at the beginning of his career (think Ian Curtis with Jesus-hipster facial hair). So when the central conflict is so lacking in thrills all that’s left for us to do is to enjoy the serviceable performances from Hoffman, Wright and Willem Dafoe who plays a banker with a soul.
Most interesting are the subplots Corbijn never really explores, like the devastating decisions a young informer (Mehdi Dehbi) must take, and the sensual history of repression suggested by Bachmann’s colleague Erna Frey (the fantastic Nina Hoss). A Most Wanted Man may not always succeed, but even when it fails, it’s a most welcome entry in what seems to be a return to seventies thrillers where jump cuts had nothing to do in the way of real life stakes. After all, more than a popcorn extravaganza, this is a tale about people who pretend to want to keep the world safe, but forget their purpose when given the chance to shine under the spotlight.
