Product: Tailor of Panama [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 4.0
"It's a game...Let's have some fun."
Based on the novel by John LeCarre, this action-packed screenplay by Andrew Davies and LeCarre showcases Panama City in the heady times immediately before the Canal was turned over to Panamanian control. Andrew Osnard (Pierce Brosnan), a free-wheeling British intelligence officer in the doghouse with his superiors, is assigned to Panama to be sure that "the world's biggest trade gate does not fall into the wrong hands." Meeting tailor Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush) in his shop, Osnard observes that Pendel has contact with all the important members of the Panamanian government, the opposition, the press, and the diplomatic corps, and, using blackmail, recruits Pendel as a spy for Britain.When the tailor does not discover any information and is squeezed for it (because he has debts due), he makes it up stories about a "silent opposition," the machinations of the French and Chinese to acquire the Canal, and the negotiations of a corrupt government for its sale. Soon American and British diplomats are arming and preparing for war to ensure that the Canal stays in "friendly" hands.The plot is nearly identical to that of Graham Greene's famous novel and 1959 film of Our Man in Havana, and the viewer will find few, if any, surprises as the meddling by Osnard and Pendel unfolds. Lacking a strong plot, Director John Boorman has ensured that interest remains high, however, by filming on location in Panama City with its night life, festivals, and parties and by giving Osnard (Brosnan) a libido that controls his life. Attractive women, such as Francesca (Catherine McCormack) at the British Embassy and even Pendel's wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) fall under his spell, and more than a few "Janet Jackson moments" keep the viewer tantalized.A glitzy film which offers plenty of exotic atmosphere, violence, sex, and intrigue, the film lacks only the chase scene which would have converted Brosnan from Osnard to James Bond. Rush, as always, gives a sterling performance as the bumbling tailor, frantic to keep his wife from knowing of his debts and his years in prison. Curtis does a fine job of acting, but it feels like acting, and it is almost impossible to imagine her married to someone like Pendel. Enjoyable and fun to watch, as long as one does not look for depth in the plot or characters, this film provides plenty of amusement and light entertainment for those not offended by the strong language and sexual content. Mary Whipple