The Tailor of Panama

2001 "In a place this treacherous, what a good spy needs is a spy of his own."
6.1| 1h49m| R| en| More Info
Released: 30 March 2001 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A British spy is banished to Panama after having an affair with an ambassador's mistress. Once there he makes connection with a local tailor with a nefarious past and connections to all of the top political and gangster figures in Panama. The tailor also has a wife, who works for the Panamanian president and a huge debt. The mission is to learn what the President intends to do with the Canal.

Genre

Drama, Thriller

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Director

John Boorman

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

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The Tailor of Panama Audience Reviews

Diagonaldi Very well executed
BlazeLime Strong and Moving!
PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Robert J. Maxwell This is a serious movie about spying and the American takeover of Panama in 1989. According to this film, it was all a big mistake based on data fabricated by Geoffrey Rush, a tailor in Panama who is mistakenly singled out as an information source of importance. He and his fellow conspirator, Peirce Brosnan, feed a lot of fake humintel to Britain and America while asking for lots of money for their secret "investigations." It's a bit complicated. A Marine Corps general practically drools on the table when he describes God as finally giving them another crack at Panama. "There's a missing star on the American flag." It has its comedic moments but they're embedded in a narrative with sober overtones. People commit suicide. And invasion takes place for no justifiable reason. Historically, of course, there was plenty of good reason to overthrow Noriega -- we didn't like him. That's enough of a reason.Brosnan is quite good as the rather slimy British visitor, and Geoffrey Rush is fine as the poor tailor who is driven half mad by unexpected developments in what at first seemed like a simple scam. Perhaps the best performance, somewhat surprisingly, is from Jamie Lee Curtis as Rush's suspicious wife. She puts a lot into the role and delivers.I think I prefer Carol Reed's earlier version of Le Carré's story. It wasn't as splashy and it was in black and white, but Guiness as the harried vacuum cleaner shop owner is funnier. The notion of describing a secret weapon that occupies an entire mountain and looks like it's made of vacuum cleaner parts is funnier. Maureen O'Hara as the assistant sent down from Britain is much prettier than Brosnan. And Noel Coward as the espionage overseer -- constantly followed by a parade of young boys playing the same cheerful Latin song -- is a delight.But this version isn't to be dismissed. If it's less amusing, it's also more tense, and the tension hold up all the way through the complexities of the plot.
LeonLouisRicci Successful in some Respects, Not so much in others, this Dark Satire on the Genre has Pierce Brosnan Showcasing a James Bond like British Spy who has Lost His Grace. The Name isn't "Bond", it's Osnard.Nothing about this MI6 Reject is Suave, Cool, or Charming in Any Way. He Bullies His way around Panama like a Rabid Dog that has No More Instincts. The Movie has Varying Tones of Violence and Sex, most are Lurid and Repulsive.The Script was Written by Acclaimed Spy Novelist John Le Carre from His Book. The Director is the Inconsistent John Boorman. The Film is Interesting and can Intrigue and Amuse if You let it, but some May Find it "in your face" and Anything but Subtle. It Works and then, it Doesn't. So the Overall Effectis Wanting but those Looking for something a bit Different in the Spy Genre will most Likely Enjoy its Edge and Forgive some Clumsiness. Worth a Watch to See Brosnan Riff On His James Bond Persona and there are Enough "out there" Scenes to Capture the Anti-Hollywood Cultists. But Mainstream Moviegoers and those Looking for more of the Same will Probably Not Appreciate the Messy Message in this Very Darkly Humored Display.
blanche-2 Pierce Brosnan, Gregory Rush, and Jamie Lee Curtis star in "The Tailor of Panama," a 2001 film based on the novel by John LeCarre.Brosnan plays Andrew Osnard, a British secret agent who had an affair with an ambassador's mistress and is exiled to Panama. He's supposed to locate some of the few Brits who live in Panama who may have information through their contacts on anything going on that the British should be concerned about.Osnard finds a tailor, Harold Pendel, an ex-con who works as a tailor in the tradition of a Saville Row older tailor who was his mentor and teacher. He says. Harry knows a lot of people - in fact, he makes suits for the President. Harry has a family, a wife (Curtis) and two children and a massive debt. Since Osnard will pay for information, Harry makes it up as he goes along, telling him that Panama's infrastructure and the poor are in desperate need, so the President is selling the Panama Canal to the Chinese.Between the two of them, Osnard and Harry end up with a story about former mercenaries out to get rid of the current government. They will work with the U.S. and British for $20 million.The film is reminiscent of "Our Man in Havana" not only in story but in the new Alec Guinness, Geoffrey Rush, who is beyond fantastic as Harry, a man who gets caught up in lies that started so innocently, just so he could pay his debt.For the people who didn't like this film, I really think you have to be a fan of classic movies to truly appreciate its satire and comic bent. And, like a true comedy or satire, it has moments of drama and truth.Brosnan plays the absolute scoundrel and womanizing Osnard to perfection. He's James Bond with none of the gadgets or class, and he is totally unlikeable.Beautifully done, this is an intelligent script, very well acted and directed, about what people will believe, and why. I loved what "Uncle Benny" (Harold Pinter) tells Harry: "Harry boy...a man who tells the truth is bound to be found out sooner or later. Try sincerity, that's a virtue. But truth, it's an affliction!"
Desertman84 The Tailor of Panama is a comedy-drama thriller that features Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis. Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Radcliffe, David Hayman, Lewis Daly, John Fortune, Catherine McCormack and Harold Pinter co-stars.It is based on the spy novel of the same title by John Le Carré, who wrote the screenplay with Boorman and Andrew Davies.It was directed by John Boorman.Set amidst the controversy of the handover of the Panama Canal from America to Panama in late 1999, this thriller follows seductive British spy Andrew Osnard, who has found himself recently banished to Panama. When Osnard stumbles into a tailor shop, he meets Harry Pendel, a garrulous sort with an unmatched penchant for fabricating wild tales with real-life details. Osnard threatens to expose his shady past, until Pendel agrees to provide him with information about the political situation in Panama. Pendel's wife Louisa tries to remain unscathed by her husband's constant follies, which escalate and put him in the midst of international discord, while also threatening the shaky relationship between himself and Osnard, who cannot escape each other's grasp.This film is "Casablanca without heroes" and that's precisely how Boorman depicts it.It is a melting pot of greed, ambition, and backroom maneuvering.Also,it reveals how a simple fabrication can provoke trigger-happy forces around the globe.This is a literate and entertaining comic thriller.