I saw A Most Wanted Man because Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in it, and it may be my last chance to see him on the big screen in a commercial movie theater. I knew nothing else about A Most Wanted Man. Here is my synopsis: you know how even in the best job, you can do good, hard work and have a really amazing plan that will accomplish everything that your employers ever wanted and benefit everyone. Then your boss comes along and does the opposite. Put that dynamic in the war on terror. Do you want to see that movie? Not my cup of tea, and no amount of excellent actors is going to change that. If I had known that it was based on a John LeCarre novel, I would have run screaming the other way. A Most Wanted Man is an anti-thriller, not that I’m a fan of thrillers. If you think about some of the plot points for too long, they are ridiculous.

SPOILERS

So we create a completely innocent, ideal illegal Muslim Chechen immigrant. Um, how did he get his father’s info if his father was just a rapist who probably kept it moving? Why was he in jail in two different countries? Why did the banker decide to keep his father’s promise BEFORE Gunter intercepted him? It seemed like the story started decades before the movie started. You’re telling me a bunch of spies wouldn’t look at the lawyer’s known associates and find her brother’s empty renovated apartment. And I could go on and on and on and on. It felt like A Most Wanted Man was going for something spiritual early in the movie, but fell short. I wanted more German actors because whenever an American appeared, I was wondering if they were supposed to be German or an expatriate. I love Hoffman, but the accent was just no. His accent sounded a bit Irish at times. (Hurrah, Nina Hoss made the cut. She’s great!) Also Hoffman looked like he was going to have a heart attack, which may have been part of the direction, but I don’t think so. A Most Wanted Man should strictly be DVD viewing if that-a swing and a miss; lots of veneer, but ultimately an empty shell.