The Tailor of Panama (2001)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

John Boorman

Writers (WGA):

John le Carré (novel)
Andrew Davies (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In a place this treacherous, what a good spy needs is a spy of his own.

Plot:

A tailor living in Panama reluctantly becomes a spy for a British agent.

Plot Keywords:

Panama | Tailor | Spy | President | Political

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 20

3:15 AM

MAX

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Andrew 'Andy' Osnard
Geoffrey Rush	...	Harold 'Harry' Pendel
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Louisa Pendel
Leonor Varela	...	Marta
Brendan Gleeson	...	Michelangelo 'Mickie' Abraxas
Harold Pinter	...	Uncle Benny
Catherine McCormack	...	Francesca Deane
Daniel Radcliffe	...	Mark Pendel
Lola Boorman	...	Sarah Pendel
David Hayman	...	Luxmore
Mark Margolis	...	Rafi Domingo
Martin Ferrero	...	Teddy, the Reporter
John Fortune	...	Maltby
Martin Savage	...	Stormont
Edgardo Molino	...	Juan-David

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, language and some violence.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | Ireland

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Brendan Gleeson, who plays Mickie Abraxas, is actually Irish. He dyed his naturally red hair black and wore brown contact lenses to complete his transformation into a Panamanian.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Abraxas can be seen breathing, blinking and opening his hands after he has died.

Quotes:

Stormont: Noriega formed these so-called Dignity Battalions. Dingbats. They were to beat the dignity out of anyone remotely critical of Noriega. It was Dr. Frankenstein, George Bush, who created this monster when he was head of the CIA. And when Noriega's drugrunning and brutality got too much...

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Taylor of Atlanta (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Pick Up Dance

An atmospheric, well-crafted thriller with actors having an infectiously good time.

The Tailor of Panama is an atmospheric, well-crafted thriller in which the actors have an infectiously good time with their characters, especially an excellent and hilarious Pierce Brosnan as Andy Osnard, a roguish British spy who is sent to Panama (superbly described as "Casablanca without heroes") to keep out of trouble and get back his government's trust. However, even in post-Cold War diplomacy you have to play the game and earn your wage. The diplomats still have to listen to their sources. Osnard selects British ex-pat tailor Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush) to be his information source, using Pendel's hidden past to get his cooperation. Pendel is well-placed as his wife works for the director of the Panama Canal Company, but he also has friends formerly in the anti-Noriega ranks. Osnard passes on what Pendel tells him to his superiors. These two characters start to spin a web of exciting misinformation that they start to revel in, but this has consequences which escalate beyond their control. The background of Panama, from its "laundromats" (banks) to its seedy nightclubs, suits the characters and the story perfectly, and gives the film an atmospheric richness of the type director Boorman excels in. It is a treat for those who love international political intrigue and who may have traveled or lived in such places. This is a thriller which relies not on hi-tech filmmaking gimmicks (and there are many opportunities to), but on characters interesting enough to follow all the way through the film. It has an old-fashioned feel, and an wry and mischievous humor. Some may see some implausibility in the final conseuences of Osnard's and Pendel's actions, but on the whole the shamless good time they have bring these (almost) anti-heroes to life is infectious. Great fun.