A Most Wanted Man
for language.
Reviewed by: Pamela Karpelenia
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Adults Teens |
| Genre: | Spy Thriller Adaptation |
| Length: | 2 hr. 2 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2014 |
| USA Release: |
July 25, 2014 (wide—361 theaters) DVD: November 4, 2014 |
spies in the Bible
international war on terror
TERRORIST REVENGE—Love replaces hatred—former Israeli soldier and an ex-PLO fighter prove peace is possible-but only with Jesus
About Islam—An Overview for Christians
Recommended resources
torture
The book A Most Wanted Man is the 21st novel of author John le Carré, who worked for British intelligence's MI5 and MI6. Other films made from his books include:
• “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011)
• “The Constant Gardener” (2005)
The novel is based on the real life of Murat Kurnaz, a Muslim Turkish citizen and legal resident of Germany who was arrested in Pakistan in late 2001 and with the German government's awareness incarcerated by extraordinary rendition (aka irregular rendition) at US military base in Kandahar, Afghanistan and in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba for five years.
| Featuring |
Rachel McAdams … Annabel Richter Robin Wright … Martha Sullivan Philip Seymour Hoffman … Günther Bachmann Willem Dafoe … Tommy Brue Daniel Brühl … Maximilian Grigoriy Dobrygin … Issa Karpov Mehdi Dehbi … Jamal Nina Hoss … Irna Frey Homayoun Ershadi … Abdullah See all » |
| Director |
Anton Corbijn |
| Producer |
The Ink Factory Potboiler Productions See all » |
| Distributor |
 Roadside Attractions, a division of Lionsgate Films |
After 9/11, they needed to take the necessary steps to protect their country.
“A Most Wanted Man” is a taut political thriller done in an almost documentary style fashion . It’s also Phillip Seymour Hoffman final starring role. That’s why I chose and wanted to review this film. It opens with Bachmann (Hoffman) watching and listening to a conversation. We learn he is a spy with a covert anti-terror unit. He, along with his elusive team, are trying to find out if a professing peaceful Muslim is actually funding the same terror group that bombed the Twin Towers on 9/11.
Next, we meet Muslim Issa Karpov traveling to find help. He enlists the help of a Muslim advocate/sympathizer who helps Issa claim a substantial inheritance from his terrorist father.
Let’s start with the acting, it varied throughout the cast. At the top is Hoffman, amazing from his accent to his demeanor; his acting is superb. The other cast members tried but couldn’t match his performance. Willem Defoe and Rachel McAdams give above average performance.
The plot is slow paced and a bit lackluster, but the Hoffman’s acting manages to carry the film and held my interest.
Now to objectionable content, there is some. First is the language; it was unnecessary and distracting. Second is the film’s Islamic aspect, “God” and “Allah” are used interchangeably, which unfortunately is done too often, but is the way Muslim’s understand things.
Why do many Arab Christians refer to God as “Allah”? Answer
As for spiritual issues, I found the film a perfect example of how a Christian can use a film to start a conversation in regarding the foundational differences between Christianity and Islam. Trust is considered a crucial element of the espionage. Humans are shown in their fallen state, and still they are trying do away with a great evil. That is a very compelling angle of the film, and it seemed unintentional.
As for a recommendation, I enjoyed the suspense and the acting. It’s tragic that the star of the film died due to drugs. I feel that the film may be worth the viewing.
Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Heavy to extreme—f-words (12), Christ (1), “For Christ's sake” (1), “cr*p” (1) / Sex/Nudity: Moderate to heavy
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays as Günther Bachmann, a German spy most likely working for the BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst). He states that he works for some type of anti-terror unit, but he never actually uses the acronym BND. However, there is one part where the BND insignia is displayed on a side of a building—most likely the BND headquarters. Bachman’s sole task in the film is the monitoring of Dr. Faisal Abdullah—an important Muslim figure who gives large sums of money to different charities. Other characters are monitored, but Abdullah is the target. Each time the money is donated, some of it goes up missing. Bachmann’s theory is that some of the stolen money is being used under a substitute charity which then funnels money to radical Muslims and terrorists. If Bachmann is correct, this would make Abdullah a supporter of terrorists and a man of interest to German intelligence (BND).
For first time viewers, that is all one really needs to know prior to seeing the film. Personality-wise, Bachman is not a clear cut black or white character. His character falls more into the gray category. Some may view him as a protagonist, while others may view him as an antagonist. I kind of saw him as a character that used very unorthodox methods to achieve good results. That is, by doing what he does, he intends to prevent evil men from hurting good people.
Bachmann also works and has some dealings with Martha Sullivan—a U.S. Embassy worker from Berlin who is probably CIA.
Since this is a rated R espionage film, some Christian viewers may find this movie offensive. As a Protestant myself, I was not offended by the content. How one reacts to the profanity mostly depends on the individual. There is a lot of religious content in this film. too. Some characters are Muslim and some Islamic jargon is used, such as “Zakat” (almsgiving), “Inshallah” (God willing or if Allah wills), and “Allah Akbar” (God is great). Concepts such as clearing one’s name and redemption are also present.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5