Sorry, this is not that movie.
Conspiracy enthusiasts will undoubtedly get a kick out of this film. A kick to the groins, a bullet to the head. Something like that. Greed, bribery, collusion, blackmail, murder...it's all here. This is not, however, some uber-spy James Bond-type thriller: there is nothing superhuman about Ralph Fiennes's character, minor British diplomat Justin Quayle, who struggles to make sense of a comfortable existence turned upside down.
Those working in the pharmaceutical industry (dlbpharmd
) may not be too impressed with the angle of the story, because the drug companies are basically the villains here. Apparently, John Le Carré based his story on news reports of drug firms using Third World nations as inexpensive but illegal testing grounds for medicines that haven't been approved by western health authorities. From a website review of the film, this quote:Le Carré would agree with that assessment: there is a postscript statement by him during the closing credits which reads -If the pharmaceutical industry—routinely crossing the finishing line as the most profitable in the U.S.—should be excoriated, it is for the ratio of its monstrous revenues to the paltry medical support it provides to third- world countries. Focusing on other, smaller conspiracies seems irrational.
There is also this little line:Nobody in this story, and no outfit or corporation, thank God, is based upon an actual person or outfit in the real world. But I can tell you this. As my journey through the pharmaceutical jungle progressed, I came to realize that, by comparison with the reality, my story was as tame as a holiday postcard.
Africa is a bloody huge place, but I can't help but wonder if Furls might recognize that name, as she is involved in aid and adoption of children there.This film is dedicated to Yvette Pierpaoli and all other aid workers who lived and died giving a damn.
This is another bit from a review that nicely sums up the film (sorry, I was browsing through a bunch of reviews and forgot to link the source):
I agree with reviews that say this movie works as a political drama, as an espionage adventure, and as a love story. Perhaps at its core, at least in the movie if not in the book, this is a love story more than anything else - a tragic love story. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz have good chemistry together, and it's a no-brainer to say that's all-important in a love story.Justin's fellow diplomats Sandy Woodrow (Danny Huston), and Sir Bernard Pellegrin (a wonderfully sleazy Bill Nighy) see their job as simply facilitators, greasing the wheels of international trade and avoiding public embarrassment at every turn. They also have personal agendas, which they wish to see advanced without incident.
So does Sir Kenneth Curtiss (Gerald McSorley), a drug tycoon, who sees nothing wrong with sacrificing many African lives to help perfect a drug that might save the lives of millions of people in developed countries.
As the cynical Woodrow puts it, "We're not paid to be bleeding hearts."
There are heroes and villains in this movie, but they can't always be identified as such and reference points constantly shift. The movie is every bit as complicated as modern morality, but it is also as pure and simple as a true love's conviction.
Initially, Weisz's character irritated me, but as the film progressed, I came around to realize and understand what she stood for. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that her character is killed right at the beginning of the film: the story has a non-linear narrative, and the rest of the film has Fiennes picking up the fragments of his life and solving the mystery of her death.
On first viewing, this didn't seem all that remarkable a movie - not to mention a bit confusing - but it stayed in my mind afterwards. It merited a second viewing, and it became much clearer then, with all the jigsaw pieces more or less fitting together coherently. I highly recommend this intricate, challenging film.
