The Tailor of Panama

December 10, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 110 min Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Normally I like a movie to keep me guessing as to what the real story actually is, but for some reason it just didn’t work for me this time.

Pierce Brosnan plays Andy Osnard, a British spy… but not the British spy. Andy isn’t nearly as nice as Bond, which should be refreshing but somehow doesn’t turn out that way. Andy is assigned to Panama due to problems in his previous assignment but doesn’t spend any time at all sulking about the downturn in his career. In fact, he’s barely off the plane when he’s recruiting a prominent tailor for his information network.

Seems that his instincts are as good as ever when the tailor turns out to have inside access to virtually everyone of importance in Panama, from the President all the way to the leader of a silent opposition. Furthermore, his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the assistant to the man in charge of the Panama Canal, which is exactly what Andy is supposed to be keeping an eye on.

Things are not always what they appear to be in this movie, and in it there aren’t really any “good guys” or “bad guys”, just guys who have their own interests at heart. Pay close attention when watching it, and be sure to listen to all the dialogue. If you miss the first 15 minutes of the movie, don’t bother watching it, just come back for a later showing. I was amused when a few people straggled into the theater a full hour into the story since there wasn’t any way they had a clue what was really happening on screen.

The movie really isn’t as bad as the 2 star rating makes it out to be, in fact, I initially gave the film 3 stars. But on reflection it just didn’t deserve to be in the same class as our more recent 3 star films like 15 minutes. Then again, it was light years better than Valentine, but we didn’t expect much from that film.

In summary, the movie is worth giving a shot, just keep your expectations real low and you won’t be disappointed.

Posted by John | Filed Under 2 Stars, Brendan Gleeson, Drama, Geoffrey Rush, Jamie Lee Curtis, Leonor Varela, Pierce Brosnan, R, Theatrical