Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, whose previous film, CITY OF
GOD, won awards all over the world--and was nominated for Best
Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Oscars--has crafted another
highly entertaining yet important film. Beautifully shot in Kenya,
Germany, Sudan, Manitoba, and London, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, based
on a bestselling novel by John Le Carré, is an exciting mix of
romance and spy thriller. Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle, a
low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very
quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife,
Tessa (Rachel Weisz), is killed, he becomes determined to find out
why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous
conspiracy. Jeffrey Caine's powerful screenplay alternates between
flashbacks of Justin and Tessa's relationship and Justin's hunt for
the truth, which makes him a target--although he doesn't know who
is after him. Fine support is offered by Danny Huston as his close
friend and confidant, Sandy; Bill Nighy as shady British official
Sir Bernard Pellegrin; and Hubert Koundé as Arnold Bluhm, an
African doctor who might have been a little too friendly with
Tessa. Meirelles's pacing is outstanding, switching effortlessly
between political intrigue, action adventure, and love story. And
Fiennes and Weisz give strong performances playing complex
characters that will continually surprise the audience. THE
CONSTANT GARDENER is a thrilling tale from start to finish.
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