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The Constant Gardener

Transcribing even a good book on to the silver screen can be a
daunting
task. Constructing and portraying literary devices that work well on
paperback, can shine through as cheesy and redundant when put into
motion
picture. The Constant Gardener, a thriller directed by Fernando
Meirelles, director of City of God was based on the novel by John La
Carrè.

Maybe it is because those limey blokes are obsessed with their
gardens,
can't live without them, parade them and show them off to the world,
and
make reality shows about them on the BBC, but the metaphor of
"gardening" in
a film that is set in London, with British actors, works as an
interesting
backdrop to this film starring Ralph Finnes, who fittingly plays an
diplomat
from the UK on a mission to a third world African country.

The Wife of Finnes' character Justin Quayle, Tessa, played by
Rachel
Weisz is found murdered, and the whole film revolves around his seeking
for
justice. In this he discovers a web of corporate and governmental
corruption, and cronyism. The details of the plot are inconsequential
to
the way the film is executed. I would be nice if things in the real
world
turned out the way the do in this film. We can all hope a government
employee of a wealthy industrialized former empire nation would do the
morally correct thing, and save many poor Africans from evil
pharmaceutical
corporations, while avenging his wife's death by risking his life and
committing a series of selfless acts. Unfortunately in today's world
they
do not.

Watching this movie actually feels like reading a book, in the
sense
that the plot develops slowly, and characters are not one dimensional.
This
is a nice change from all of the crap that comes out by Hollywood these
days. But with such an illiterate population, the simpleton crowd
among you
might find the ending cute or heartwarming, because it just transcribes
itself like a cheesy novel. I have not read the book, but I imagine
some
scenes and devices in the film play out much better on paper than they
do in
film.

The acting however, is really superb. Finnes plays Quayle with
James
Bond sophistication while at the same time showing a vulnerable side,
the
talent to fuse such facets into one role continues to validate Finnes
as one
of the very few real actors left. Weisz is excellent as the passionate
Tessa, and Danny Huston is great in his supporting role as Sandy
Woodrow.

Movie Grade : B

The Constant Gardener

Synopsis:

Based on the best-selling John le Carré novel and from the Academy Award-nominated director of “City of God.” In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz)

is found brutally murdered. Tessa’s companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa’s widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife’s infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth – a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.