The Tailor of Panama (2001)

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:

British Secret Service | Shipping | Airplane | Saville Row | Cemetery

Awards:

1 nomination

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 (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands: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:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the salsa band is first seen playing on the waterfront, a man is singing, but none of the male band members' mouths is moving.

Quotes:

Harry Pendel: When they took Noriega out, I said to myself, Harry, they got Ali Baba, but they missed the forty thieves.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

The Pick Up Dance

Excellent satire of the intelligence business, told with a straight face

It's too bad about the low IMDB rating for this movie. It is a deft blend of James Bond, Casablanca and Dr Strangelove which directs its often vicious tongue-in-cheek barbs at both the intelligence industry and the spy films which glorify it. While it can be enjoyed "straight", that is as a story in its own right, I think those who miss its satirical structure (the film doesn't directly let the audience in on the joke - it must be inferred), miss half the fun.