I Spy: The Constant Gardener
In the modern world big business has as much to hide as governments, and Fernando Meirelles’ film of spy story supremo John le Carré’s novel is an espionage story where the villains are no longer foreign nations but rather money hungry corporations. At its heart though The Constant Gardener isn’t a spy movie at all, it’s a love story with a political message.
Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz have great onscreen chemistry, which helps the film no end as there’s little time to build up their relationship, one minute they’re having sex after Fiennes delivers a dull lecture the next they’re off to Africa as man and wife. Fiennes’ dull diplomat and Weisz’s left wing activist seem an unlikely couple but the actors make it work and without that bond the film would fall flat, as Fiennes’ love is what propels the story forward as he searches for the truth behind his wife’s death (that’s not a huge spoiler, we learn early on the she’s dead with their relationship shown in flashback).
As Fiennes digs deeper he not only discovers a web of political and industrial corruption but also his wife’s ideals, something he’d never really understood before. The film interlinks this love story with an exploration of the current way of life of the African people and then dresses them both up in the garb of a thriller – clandestine meetings, fake identities, and even a car chase come into play but this isn’t a thriller that plays by the rules, there’s no action packed climax, with the final confrontation between Fiennes and his wife’s killers takes place off screen.
Fernando Meirelles really impressed me with City of God and his direction here is even more assured than in his breakthrough film. The film has a documentary feel to it that adds to the realism, there’s a lot of hand held camera work but it’s more than that, the crowd scenes don’t have the rehearsed feel you usually get in movies, instead it’s like the actors have been dropped into the real world with those around them oblivious to the fact they’re in a film, and that adds to the authenticity of their performances.
South and Central America has produced some intelligent and adventurous directors of late and Fernando Meirelles ranks at the top of that list. Here he turns what could have been just a standard thriller into so much more. He gets terrific performances from Fiennes and Weisz as well as good supporting turns from Bill Nighy as a corrupt politician and particularly Gerard McSorley as Sir Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Curtiss, the foul mouthed industrialist who’s company is at the heart of the scandal.
