A tailor living in Panama reluctantly becomes a spy for a British Agent.A tailor living in Panama reluctantly becomes a spy for a British Agent.A tailor living in Panama reluctantly becomes a spy for a British Agent.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt the age of 42, Jamie Lee Curtis had no hesitation in baring her breasts for this movie. She told director Sir John Boorman , "These are my girls--they have names, you know--you can shoot them at any angle you want because they're great."
- GoofsSavile Row, a street famous for its tailoring establishments in central London and mentioned many times in the film, is misspelled "Saville" on the computer screen that Osnard scans on the flight.
- Quotes
Harry Pendel: Welcome to Panama, Casablanca without heroes.
Featured review
Good, entertaining and worthwhile, but not quite great
Geoffrey Rush is excellent as Harry, an Englishman with a sadly shady past who has re- invented himself in Panama as the best tailor in the country, making clothes for the rich and politically powerful. Into his world comes Osnard, played by Pierce Brosnan. A morally corrupt, self-serving MI6 spy, sent to Panama as a last chance after seducing a Euro diplomats wife.
Many were bowled over by the irony of casting Brosnan, so associated with James Bond, as this much realer, creepier Bond alter ego. A man who is handsome, and self-confident, but whose endless seduction of women seems smarmy not sexy, and who delights in screwing other people while profiting himself.
For me the casting was actually problematic. Brosnon's terrific, but the irony is so distractingly obvious, that it pulled me out of the story, and made me think too much about film and our hero images instead of simply accepting the character. Beyond that, Osnard is drawn a little too broadly for my taste. He's so transparent, I have a hard time he gets anyone to trust him even for a moment. If his inner self-serving pig were a bit better hidden, it might have given the audience more to unravel, and make other characters' willingness to do his bidding a bit easier to buy.
The mix of tones also was a bit of a misfire for me. Never quite darkly funny enough to ascend into true satire, but certainly never edgy enough to be taken seriously, there's a lack of danger here. Unlike 'Dr. Strangelove', we never really think Harry and Osnard's games will reduce Panama to a pile of rubble, and the intimation of it seems false and a bit silly.
Yet, all that complaining is because the movie is good enough, smart enough, brave enough and entertaining enough that I felt frustrated it didn't quite work as brilliantly as is should. But I'd certainly still recommend it, in spite of my long winded misgivings, and I'm also willing to give it another look.
Many were bowled over by the irony of casting Brosnan, so associated with James Bond, as this much realer, creepier Bond alter ego. A man who is handsome, and self-confident, but whose endless seduction of women seems smarmy not sexy, and who delights in screwing other people while profiting himself.
For me the casting was actually problematic. Brosnon's terrific, but the irony is so distractingly obvious, that it pulled me out of the story, and made me think too much about film and our hero images instead of simply accepting the character. Beyond that, Osnard is drawn a little too broadly for my taste. He's so transparent, I have a hard time he gets anyone to trust him even for a moment. If his inner self-serving pig were a bit better hidden, it might have given the audience more to unravel, and make other characters' willingness to do his bidding a bit easier to buy.
The mix of tones also was a bit of a misfire for me. Never quite darkly funny enough to ascend into true satire, but certainly never edgy enough to be taken seriously, there's a lack of danger here. Unlike 'Dr. Strangelove', we never really think Harry and Osnard's games will reduce Panama to a pile of rubble, and the intimation of it seems false and a bit silly.
Yet, all that complaining is because the movie is good enough, smart enough, brave enough and entertaining enough that I felt frustrated it didn't quite work as brilliantly as is should. But I'd certainly still recommend it, in spite of my long winded misgivings, and I'm also willing to give it another look.
Helpful•225
- runamokprods
- Nov 17, 2012
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- John le Carré's the Tailor of Panama
- Filming locations
- Gatun Lake, Panama(Andrew Osnard and Louisa Pendel bathe in lake)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $21,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $13,729,742
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,837,068
- Apr 1, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $28,008,462
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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