The Tailor of Panama
A review

By James Hanna
Skiff Staff

When I walked into the movie theater to see “The Tailor of Panama,” I didn’t know what to expect. The reviews I had read called it a “thriller” and a “spy movie without the gadgets.”

What I got was an inventive story with dynamic characters, a plot with twists and plenty of suspense without an easily predictable outcome. To the majority of these, I credit John Le Carre, author of the 1996 novel of the same title and co-writer of the screenplay adaptation.

The beginning of the movie plays nothing like a spy movie. We are introduced to Pierce Brosnan’s character, Andy Osnard, as he is being exiled to Panama to do busy work, while whatever it was he screwed up is being dealt with in merry-old England. The result is Brosnan’s search for contacts can dig up dirt about the government in Panama so he can do something better (which we don’t know). His search quickly yields a name, Harry Pendel, played by Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush (“Shine” and “Quills”). Rush is the tailor and owns a men’s store with a Saville Row pedigree.

What follows is an increasingly suspenseful drama that ultimately envelops everyone in Rush’s life culminating in a potential international catastrophe.

The reason I liked this film was primarily because of its excellent writing. It kept me guessing to the end. In every James Bond movie I’ve ever seen, Bond hooks up with a hot babe and then saves the world “for Queen and Country.”“The Tailor of Panama” is as different from those formulaic plots as its title is from those of Bond movies. John Boorman, director and co-writer, and Le Carre team up to brilliantly weave a tale full of detail and absent of flat characters. Nowhere do we see Brosnan’s character take on the role of the diabolical villain.

By the end of the movie, we see Rush in a new light. It is not dramatic transformation, nor is it the typical heroic posturing we see where a loser ends up with the girl and the championship trophy. Instead, we have true character development, complete with true-to-life flaws and problems.

However, the film’s biggest asset also becomes one of its biggest drawbacks.

While the development of the characters is very strong, the movie’s attempt to maintain maximum tension is greatly reduced. What remains is a plot with a unique twist to the familiar formula that relies on outstanding characters (particularly Brosnan) and good writing to make it work.

Overall, I came away from the movie a little disappointed. The only truly memorable thing about the movie was Osnard (Brosnan) who’s deliciously provocative, sinister character actually makes this film worth watching again.

In general, if you’re looking for an action-packed thriller, “chick-flick” or cortex-burning eye-candy, you’re in the wrong place. If, on the other hand, you enjoy thoughtful, original, well-acted, mold-bending films with a touch of wit then “The Tailor of Panama” will probably suit you well.

James Hanna
j.a.hanna@student.tcu.edu