Tailor of Panama

Pros: Geoffery Rush
Cons: Pierce Brosnan

“I hated it.” Sum verbatim commentary on The Tailor of Panama courtesy of my husband. I don’t usually take his commentary into account much (okay, at all) when deciding whether I like a movie or not, but this was such an unusual...

Pros: Excellent acting and location shoots. Rush really stands out in this one.
Cons: Most fans of Brosnan won't apprieciate this Bond turning to the Dark Side.

After a long wait for this movie to reach the hinterlands, I got a chance last night to sit and watch this one. To be fair, it's not half bad actually. Just don't expect anything flashy in this one -- if anything, this cynical little tale of deception,...

Pros: Brosnan, Rush, Curtis, nice view of Panama
Cons: Not as exciting as a real spy caper

Panama has never been known as a hotbed for political upheval, except for the night President George W. Bush ordered the capture of Manuel Noriega by American forces. The main character in "The Tailor Of Panama," Andrew Osnard (Pierce Brosnan), knows...

Pros: The scenes of Panama - slums and skyscrapers - are intoxicating.
Cons: It could have been so much more.

Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) has been a very bad boy. Sure he’s a spy – and one might expect bad things from a spy. But in the first year of the enlightened 21st century, there are some people that a proper British gentleman – even a spy –...

Pros: Cinematography. Geoffrey Rush's performance.
Cons: Several miscast characters. Plot plods along too slowly. Excessive profanity.

British spy Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) is being sent to Panama as a punishment of sorts for his poor performance. While Osnard considers the locale a backwater, he lays plans to enrich himself while enjoying some tropical pleasures. Once in Panama he ...

Pros: Scenery, Leonor Varela.
Cons: Weak, disjointed script, out-of-place language, disappointing sex, everything else!

“What a great movie this will be!” I thought. Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Lee Curtis, the natural beauty of Panama, intrigue, corruption – all based on John LeCarre’s acclaimed novel of the same name. I watched it all from a comfortable ‘stadium seat’ in a...

Pros: Original plot, brilliant acting, beautiful locale
Cons: Not as much action as I had expected

The credibility of The Tailor of Panama relies on its intriguing storyline rather than big explosions and other expensive Hollywood tricks. I was expecting more of a James Bond style action flick with lots of guns, babes, car chases, gadgets and...

Pros: Satirical look at the contemporary spy game.
Cons: Over-the-top, tawdry. You will definitely need a shower after this one (not appropriate for children).

A satire masquerading as a thriller, The Tailor of Panama is a tawdry, depressing look at the state of affairs in the post-cold war spy game.

Andy Osnard, ably played against type by Pierce Brosnan, is a disgraced MI-6 agent who is sent...

Pros: Sharp cynical wit, clever double entendres and a gray view of heroes and villains.
Cons: Loose story lines hanging at the end

"It's Casablanca without heroes". That's Panama as described by Harry Pendel, the Tailor of Panama in an early scene. The Tailor of Panama turns the theme of Casablanca on its head. Where Casablanca had...

Pros: Rush shines and Brosnan steals the movie.
Cons: Curtis is wasted here.

There's an old adage that says that for any movie adaptation of a book the book will invariably be better. If that's the case then Director John Boorman's screen version of John Le Carre's The Tailor of Panama must be the exception that proves the...

Pros: Splendid, revealing location photography in Panama. A strong premise.
Cons: The film tries to do too much, and therefore, does not enough.

In the 1970's, when he was head of the CIA, future President George Herbert Walker Bush hired a Panamanian intelligence officer named Manuel Noriega. Noriega came to power in Panama after Strongman General Torrios was killed in a plane crash, shortly...

Pros: A film that highlights words over action with good performances from the major players.
Cons: A missed opportunity for a couple of more action-filled scenes will dissapoint some.

The Tailor of Panama is a smart, talky, clever character-based spy thriller. The film doesn't have a lot of action and requires the audience to pay attention more than then most films do but offers a rich experience over-all.

The Tailor of...

Pros: Literate, sophisticated screenplay, well directed.
Cons: If you're expecting explosive and far-fetched action-adventure, you'll be disappointed.

Pierce Brosnan may play a British spy but he's no 007 in John Boorman's stylish adaptation of John Le Carre's 1996 post-Cold War thriller. Instead, Brosnan plays a sleazy, disreputable and disgraced M16 agent who's been sent to Panama City. "It's...

Pros: Geoffrey Rush's performance, amazing title sequence, moments of truly revealing satire
Cons: Weak adapted screenplay, too many undeveloped characters, unbelievable ending, hearing Pierce Brosnan swear

Adapted from the John Le Carré novel of the same name, The Tailor of Panama is set just prior to the transition of control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanians at the close of the last century. Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan), a British...

Pros: great cast, good idea
Cons: no emotional ties with the characters, too slow paced

The Tailor of Panama boasts a superb cast including Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush. Add to that acclaimed Director John Boorman at the helm and the writing skills of John le Carre, BUT This film left me COLD.

...