A Most Wanted Man

Director: Anton Corbijn

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Daniel Bruhl

The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman was perhaps one of the most tragic losses Hollywood ever experienced. Besides the fact that he seemed to be worshipped by all he worked with, Hoffman was held in extremely high regard by the cinema-going public. If his name appeared on a cast list, you were guaranteed to be in for a good performance, no matter how bad the film itself may have been. His talent is a genuine tragedy, an actor who had more potential than was ever tapped into.

However, before his death, Hoffman did manage to work on some great productions, his amazing performance in God’s Pocket, his supporting appearance in two upcoming Hunger Games films and his performance in the latest Anton Corbijn production, A Most Wanted Man. Hoffman working with Corbijn was a stroke of genius, his previous films include the dark Control and the quiet American but A Most Wanted Man is much bigger in scope, not least because of a cast list that included Hoffman, the brilliant Rachel McAdams and the barely discovered Daniel Bruhl.

The plot surrounding the film is quite complex but mainly follows the life of a Chechen Muslim, Issa, who illegally immigrates to Hamburg. On his arrival, he is helped by a family who put him in touch with a lawyer, Annabel, played by Rachel McAdams. However, the pair soon discover that they are involved in something that is far bigger than both of them. Annabel is approached by Bachmann (Hoffman), an investigator working with a small team on the War in Terror. Bachmann is convinced that Issa can lead him to something bigger, Annabel on the other hand is convinced of his innocence.

Using Issa to track down other high profile Muslims on their list, Bachmann soon attracts the attention of other departments outside of his own who he refuses to work with. The more people involved he believes, the less chance of him actually catching his man. When Bachmann feels slight sympathy for the immigrant and for Annabel, he must try to catch the main guy without compromising someone who he thinks may actually be innocent.

The main problem that A Most Wanted Man encounters is the fact that it is almost weighed down by a very heavy plot; it starts quite slowly and takes a long time to build. However, by the time it gets into the second hour, we hit the ground running. The plot begins to unravel and the characters become more and more tense as the audience are brought towards a very unknown conclusion. The last scene in the film is possibly one of the greatest end scenes in a film and a fitting end for the wonderful Hoffman.

In terms of performance, what can be said which has not been said before? Hoffman is brilliant. Corbijn commented that during filming he was completely committed to his character, often spending long periods by himself, headphones in his ears, listening to his lines over and over. Bachmann is a broken man, bitter at times, hopeful on occasions but for the most part worn down, visibly and emotionally by his work. McAdams on the other hand who is usually a revelation doesn’t really have too much to do. On top of that, her accent is not that great, slipping into American occasionally.

The film, thanks in great part to Anton Corbijn, looks absolutely fantastic, beaten, old and just the right amount of effects to make it look as authentic as possible.

This is a slow burner but the pay-off is worth it. Hoffman is still very missed.

Pride

Director: Matthew Warchus

Cast: Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy, Andrew Scott, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, George MacKay

Blink and you could miss it. Unfortunately, that is the case with a lot of the films that have been released into the cinemas this year which have just been an absolute delight. Very much top of that list at the moment was the Guest, a film starring Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as a crazy American soldier who returns to the family of his one of his officers after the war. The film was barely marketed, due mainly to very small budgets, and yet by audience, and critics’ standards, it is simply one of the most enjoyable films of the year.

On top of that, there are a lot of events in history that would simply make great stories but are barely covered on the big screen. In the case of Pride, it is a story that was very much a reality for the mining community in Wales in the 80s but has also, like Diana, like Margaret Thatcher, become a topic that is very difficult to bring to a cinema screen, not just because the subject matter is so raw but also because the sides have been incredibly divided on opinions of some of these topics.

Pride is very much in that bracket but it does something extremely clever, it uses the mining strikes as a backdrop to a very heart warming true story.

In 1984, at the height of the mining strikes which essentially left a lot of families without any incomes and struggling to survive, another group were facing opposition in the UK and they decided the best way to oppose Maggie was to join forces with the group. They called themselves the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign and they collected money for families who were deprived during the strike.

However, like their treatment in society at the time, the group soon found that a lot of doors were closed to them, even from the miners until they decided to team up with just one small mining village in Wales. Despite their obvious differences, the miners eventually proudly partnered with the group and eventually very strong friendships formed. The mining crisis forced a statement from both groups but the reality of their friendship was much more wonderful.

 Firstly, this is one of the most moving films you will see this year, in fact if you don’t see it you are majorly missing out. With the mining crisis firmly in the background, we’re allowed to see the character development of some of the main characters and what characters they are. Although all the performances are amazing, the outstanding ones most certainly come from Bill Nighy, Dominic West and Andrew Scott. Across their age span, they manage to perfectly encapsulate the different attitudes towards gay men in the UK at the time.

As well as that, the film is hysterically funny at times and that is most certainly down to the hilarious ladies from the Welsh village who are thrown into a very different type of London life at times. Imelda Staunton, the wonderful Imelda Staunton is their ringleader and she plays the role with such sincerity, it would be difficult to not want to be friends with her.

If you are looking for an accurate depiction of the mining crisis, this is not your film but if you want something that is sweet, lovely and fun, Pride is definitely all of that.