"The Tailor of Panama"
British MI-6 agent Andrew Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) really screwed up his last assignment and is reassigned to the armpit of the Foreign Service - Panama. Trying to make the best of a bad assignment, Andrew recruits the local tailor to the Panamanian elite, Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), for information and unleashes a series of events that may lead to America taking back the Canal in the John Le Carre story, "The Tailor of Panama."
Andrew Osnard is the antithesis of the always-honorable James Bond character that we have viewed, for many years, as the quintessential example of the British secret agent. Brosnan, himself, has made a career playing the legendary 007, and takes a dark departure with his spy who is left out in the cold by his bosses for his previous "indiscretions." Andrew is the kind of suave, yet slimy, guy who can seize opportunity when he sees it. That's when he has the idea to bring Harry into his control and milk the tailor for information about his well-to-do clients, to get the pulse of Panama, so to speak.
Harry has built his business on a Saville Row reputation and has become quite well off as the clothier to Panama's stars. But, a bad, costly investment in a failing farm forces Harry to act as an info-for-pay resource for Andrew. To get enough money to cover his debts, Harry invents a story about the country's "Silent Opposition," led by a former Noriega foe, Michelangelo Abraxus (Brendan Gleeson). Mickey, Harry reports to Andrew, is the new hope of the Panamanian people to end the government's continued repression. The only trouble is, Mickey, Harry's good friend, isn't told about the deception. As the money starts to roll in, the indebted tailor perpetuates his lies with even bigger ones, digging himself in deeper and deeper into a quagmire.
Andrew's controllers in Britain aren't satisfied with Harry's reports and demand hard proof before giving their tailor a penny more. Desperate, Harry involves his own wife, Louisa (Jamie Lee Curtis), assistant to the manager of the entire Canal, without her knowledge. As things spiral out of Harry's control, he sees everything he has so carefully built for so many years come crashing around him.
As I watched the first two thirds of "The Tailor of Panama" I could not help but to compare it to the 1960 Alec Guinness spy spoof, "Our Man in Havana." Both films are about a hapless everyman who is drawn into the spy game. But, since there is nothing, really, to spy on, he invents intrigue and develops a fake spy network. In both films, the hero's intentions are the best, but go wrong nonetheless. Both start out whimsically, but only "Our Man in Havana" sustains it. Le Carre's story departs as it moves away from its early whimsy and takes on a dramatic tone that reps a sudden change of direction for the story.
This is where "The Tailor of Panama" runs into problems. The light-hearted nature of the bulk of the film is smothered by the serious episodes that represents Harry's final fall, losing him nearly everything he has worked for - including his beloved wife. This sharp turn in the story occurs very late in the film and is handled perfunctorily, making the viewer shift gears abruptly. This may be faithful to Le Carre's novel, but the screenplay, cowritten by the author, is, on the whole, unsatisfying in its conclusion.
Performances, both in front of and behind the camera, are uniformly solid. Geoffrey Rush is always a pleasure to watch and he gives nuance and dimension to his Harry Pendel. Harry is not all he seems or says, but preserving his family and life are his reason for his deceptions. He is a good man who, in the end, must pay the price for trying to grab the gold ring.
Pierce Brosnan appears to being having one heck of a good time as the anti-Bond. His out-of-favor Andrew is cunning and underhanded enough to get his way. He is not beyond using Harry's misinformation for his own gain, even feathering his own nest with millions of dollars of espionage funds. Brosnan comes across as sexy and sleazy at the same time.
The rest of the cast is made up by a bevy of talented actors, from Curtis and Gleeson to Leanor Varela as Harry's disfigured (from the Noriega days) secretary Martha, keeping the supporting cast close to the central action. There is also a plethora of small and cameo performances, including Catherine McCormack as Andrew's foreign service lover, Francesca, Jon Polito as a deceitful banker and Harry's supposed friend, and Dylan Baker as a gung ho US Army general. Playwright Harold Pintner plays the pivotal role as Harry's dead Uncle Bennie, who appears to the tailor at critical times, advising his nephew to give up his dangerous life.
Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot gives the film a lush, crisp look that has a coolness belying the heat and humidity of the Panama location. As you would expect from a story about a tailor, costuming, by Maeve Paterson, is exceptional, especially the suits of Harry's design and the casual suavity of Brosnan's attire.
"The Tailor of Panama" had me for the bulk of the film, but its sudden turn from whimsy to drama left me out in the cold. I give it a B-.
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