The Tailor of Panama (2001)

Not Quite a James Bond Movie... (please click the link to read my review of another John LeCarrė spy movie starring a former 007, The Russia House)

Synopsis: It’s like a Bond flick…except there aren’t any gadgets or action scenes, the chicks are all 40-something, and Bond’s a greedy, money-grubbing, lying bastard.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “In this seductive spy thriller based on the best-selling novel by John LeCarré, Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine) delivers a dazzling performance as Harry Pendel, an ex-con turned tailor to the rich and infamous and married to smart and sexy Luisa (Jamie Lee Curtis – True Lies).”

What Did I Learn?: Jamie Lee Curtis looks pretty good topless.

You Might Like This Movie If: You get excited by the word: “Panama”.

Really?: Um...does Andy seriously think MI6 is going to let one of their agents walk away with $10 million of the CIA’s cash without extraditing him from Switzerland, or maybe even doing some wet work?

Rating: The Tailor of Panama is an entertaining, wryly humourous and highly cynical John LeCarré spy film featuring fine performances from both Rush and a 007-era Pierce Brosnan. Set in post-Noriega Panama City, The Tailor of Panama is a pretty good movie that’s marred by a less-than-satisfactory ending (Brosnan’s Andy Osnard is a charming rogue, but doesn’t he deserve at least some sort of comeuppance?) and a bit of a wasted role for Curtis. Still, it’s worth checking out. 8/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0236784/