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'a most wanted man': a parable grounded in the real world.

Mark Jenkins

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in A Most Wanted Man , director Anton Corbijn's adaptation of John le Carré's 2008 novel, as German intelligence officer Günther Bachmann. Roadside Attractions hide caption

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in A Most Wanted Man , director Anton Corbijn's adaptation of John le Carré's 2008 novel, as German intelligence officer Günther Bachmann.

Islamic immigrant Issa Karpov (played by Grigoriy Dobrygin) and American social worker Annabel Richter (played by Rachel McAdams) get caught up in Bachmann's plan to prevent a national security threat. Roadside Attractions hide caption

Islamic immigrant Issa Karpov (played by Grigoriy Dobrygin) and American social worker Annabel Richter (played by Rachel McAdams) get caught up in Bachmann's plan to prevent a national security threat.

Fittingly, one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final performances is in a movie about role-playing. The masterly actor mutters and growls his way through A Most Wanted Man as a spy who's simultaneously fighting two losing wars: against the West's enemies as well as his own putative allies.

Further deepening the movie's ambiguity, the American actor plays a German in a story whose payoff is pungently anti-American.

Although set in Hamburg rather than London, this is familiar turf for John le Carre, whose 2008 novel is the movie's source. Dutch-British director Anton Corbijn's adaptation of A Most Wanted Man is thematically linked to, and almost as good as, Tomas Alfredson's film of Le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy . Both are painstaking, rueful accounts of men who try to outthink a poisonously irrational world.

Le Carre placed the story in Hamburg because that's where the 9/11 attacks were planned. The city has been on "high alert" ever since, an opening note explains. So the people who pay attention to mysterious newcomers are intrigued when a desperate-looking Chechen, Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), slinks out of the Elbe River.

Word of his arrival quickly reaches Gunther Bachmann (Hoffman), who runs a secret counterintelligence unit whose operations are ostensibly banned by German law. In the mode of Peter Falk's Columbo, Gunther is disheveled and seemingly impulsive, yet actually methodical.

Gunther begins by speaking German but quickly switches to accented English, an old Hollywood trick that works here because Hoffman and the movie's other native Anglophones — notably Rachel McAdams and Willem Dafoe — don't overplay the Teutonic inflections. Their tones never clash with those of Nina Hoss and Daniel Bruhl, actual German stars in supporting roles.

The assumption is that Issa wants to contact Islamic terror cells in Hamburg. Instead, he moves in with some new acquaintances, who refer him to a human-rights lawyer, Annabel Richter (a blonde McAdams). After seeing Issa's scars from Russian torture, Annabel begins an application for political asylum.

It turns out that Issa has the key to unlock a multimillion-euro inheritance from his hated father. The money is in a bank, run by Tommy Brue (Dafoe), whose operations are not strictly legal — just like Gunther's. Issa wants to give the tainted legacy to respected Muslim pundit and philanthropist Dr. Faisal Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi). But Faisal himself may not be entirely legit.

Gunther plans to, as they say in paranoid thrillers, follow the money. But Berlin-based Dieter Mohr (Rainer Bock), who runs the country's officially acknowledged counterterrorism group, would rather arrest Issa straightaway. Somewhere in between, it appears, is icy CIA agent Martha Sullivan (a brunette Robin Wright).

While Gunther would prefer not to deal with American spies, Martha's presence gives him more time to track Issa and Faisal. And Gunther and Martha develop a grudging rapport, illustrated by the way each offers the same half-ironic explanation for why they do the jobs they do.

Condensed by Australian scripter Andrew Bovell (who's probably best known for Lantana ), A Most Wanted Man retains a cogent narrative and le Carre's weary outlook. Rather than choke the narrative with details, the filmmakers keep the story lean while adding evocative visual and aural details.

Corbijn, a former Brit-rock video maker, has a little fun by dropping Gang of Four's "To Hell With Poverty" into a bar scene and giving a small role to soundtrack composer Herbert Gronemeyer. But the look of the movie, shot in Hamburg and Berlin locations by the great Benoit Delhomme, is serious and authentic. If A Most Wanted Man is a parable, it's one placed firmly in the real world.

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A Most Wanted Man Reviews

It’s compelling stuff – crisp and razor sharp.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 19, 2022

The story reveals an overarching theme about the current, pointedly American, post-9/11 approach to spy games, and the more intricate, more persistent, perhaps specifically European alternative.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 5, 2022

A Most Wanted Man is about as drab as it is inessential.

Full Review | Jun 4, 2021

There's able support from Willem Dafoe as a banker holding the keys to Issa's fate as the third act tension ramps towards a climax Hoffman owns.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 26, 2021

A Most Wanted Man ... is an intellectually incoherent film, out of sync with a reality in which intelligence agencies are a barbaric expression of the emerging authoritarian state.

Full Review | Feb 26, 2021

Features a measured but intense performance from Hoffman, but the film itself isn't as interesting as he is.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Feb 1, 2021

The 2-star reviews floating around are genuinely baffling. This is a film that requires and rewards a little patience, with a superb swansong from Hoffman and an excellent McAdams matching Corbijn's strong direction.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 25, 2019

A Most Wanted Man is an efficient espionage drama that, whilst in no way revelatory, is attuned to its source material's non-heroic and morally ambiguous approach to a well-worn genre.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 3, 2019

For audiences who are patient with meticulously paced narratives, the spy story is an intelligent, mature and riveting piece of filmmaking anchored with subtly by actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, an amazing talent lost far too soon.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Dec 31, 2018

Corbijn has assembled a fine cast of performers, yet still comes up with a disjointed jigsaw puzzle. Playing unfocused spy games in A Most Wanted Man leaves this peek-a-boo thriller feeling tired and unwanted.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 14, 2018

The last minute of this film will break your heart. Good-bye, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Full Review | Sep 24, 2018

So stylish that no one seems able to bring themselves to say exactly what's happening.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 19, 2018

How many times does one come across an intelligent and effective adaptation? [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jan 18, 2018

[There's] a brilliant and unnervingly timely exchange.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 18, 2017

It drags on a little long, but you can't look away.

Full Review | Jul 26, 2016

A Most Wanted Man is a rare feature: a relatively smart take on the war on terror that doesn't devolve into ideological score settling.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 14, 2016

As their entire mission rests on the most minuscule of actions, Corbijn has crafted a smart, slow-burn thriller.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jun 21, 2016

In a spy flick, we want to see action. We want to see Jason Bourne jumping off a roof. We want tension, not realism-not smoking and meetings and yakking.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jun 14, 2016

A bittersweet curtain call for the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 15, 2016

Cobijn doesn't totally conquer le Carré's complicated plot

Full Review | Jun 21, 2015

• Cast & crew

User reviews

A Most Wanted Man

Philip seymour hoffman's farewell.

• Nov 22, 2022

The Artist That Is Phillip Seymour Hoffman

• jaysanchu07
• Jan 6, 2022

A Fine Goodbye for Philip Seymour Hoffman

• ClaytonDavis
• Jul 25, 2014

To Make the World a Safer Place

Slow murky spy thriller.

• SnoopyStyle
• Mar 12, 2015

A (Thoughtful) Slow Burn to an Explosive Climax

• Sep 3, 2014

Hoffman's brilliant final complete performance; this slow but tense Spy-thriller keeps you on the edge.

• akash_sebastian
• Nov 16, 2014

John le Carré wrote it; Philip Seymour Hoffman performed it

• Aug 15, 2014

Story lets the film down

• peter-stead-740-486963
• Sep 13, 2014

Realism versus Story-Telling

• Oct 4, 2014

Brilliant farewell to one of the greatest ever !!!

• avik-basu1889
• Oct 24, 2014

Philip Seymour Hoffman: A most missed man

• Nov 12, 2014
• partagas150
• Aug 16, 2014

A Movie that thinks the viewer is not very intelligent

• interlude288
• Oct 22, 2014

Decently tense spy movie

• blott2319-1
• Oct 18, 2021

A Definite Must-See

• Aug 30, 2014

Two most memorable aspects.

• Motion-Picture-Watchmen
• Feb 6, 2022

Spy Work: Gritty, Dirty and Glamor-Free

• marsanobill
• Aug 9, 2014

Could've used a little something more

• Jun 27, 2021

Bad and boring.

• iljavonnagel

At long last, a ballistics-free espionage film with an actual storyline

• pausher-433-520422
• Aug 1, 2014

Tense film about terrorism plenty of thrills , intrigue and a surprising end

• Oct 3, 2014

a most wanting man

• coatofsolidgold
• Aug 2, 2014

P.S. Hoffman's last role, he is a German anti-terrorism expert.

• Nov 30, 2014

A Cynical But Quiet Little Political Espionage Thriller

• Oct 15, 2015

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Sundance Film Review: ‘A Most Wanted Man’

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a German intelligence operative in Anton Corbijn's steadily absorbing John le Carre adaptation.

By Justin Chang

Justin Chang

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Intelligence is both the subject and the approach of Anton Corbijn ‘s “ A Most Wanted Man ,” a meticulously plotted, steadily absorbing Hamburg-set drama that casts a cynical yet compassionate eye on the complexities of counterterrorist work in the post-9/11 era. Adopting the same cool, methodical approach that he did in his offbeat procedural “The American,” Corbijn succeeds here in large part because his attention to nuance and detail so fully complements that of the German operatives at the story’s core. Starring the Teuton-accented trio of Philip Seymour Hoffman , Rachel McAdams and Willem Dafoe, a risky casting decision that ultimately pays off, this decidedly low-pulse endeavor will put off viewers who like their spy thrillers with a bit more oomph, but should court plenty of intrigue among discerning arthouse-goers who see the name “John le Carre” and know what they’re in for.

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The German port city of Hamburg was where Mohammed Atta and his collaborators planned the Sept. 11 attacks, a fact that has kept intelligence operatives there on high alert more than a decade later. It’s against this tense backdrop of justified paranoia and lingering shame that rumpled, hard-drinking Gunter Bachmann (Hoffman) runs a secret anti-terrorism team seeking to develop sources within the Islamic community that will lead them to higher-profile suspects. It’s a risky task, requiring patience and sensitivity as well as a willingness to hold back and negotiate, and in this Bachmann finds himself continually at odds with paper-pushing Hamburg intelligence head Dieter Mohr (Rainer Bock), who would rather arrest first and ask questions later.

Popular on Variety

The subject of their latest clash of wills is 26-year-old Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a half-Chechen, half-Russian immigrant who turns up in Hamburg looking half dead. Having suffered torture and imprisonment in both his native countries, he takes shelter with a Muslim woman (Derya Alabora) and her son (Tamer Yigit), and quickly connects with Annabel Richter (McAdams), a passionate young human-rights attorney who agrees to help Karpov claim an inheritance worth tens of millions of Euros. Classified by authorities as an escaped militant jihadist, this disheveled man of mystery is of immense interest to Mohr, who wants him arrested before he can make contact with Islamic terrorist cells, but also to Bachmann, whose instinct is always to pause, look at the bigger picture and make the most strategic move.

To that end, Bachmann reaches out to both Richter and Tommy Brue (Dafoe), head of the bank that is holding the desired funds. Both of them will play key roles in Bachmann’s plan to lay a trap — not for Karpov, but for Dr. Faisal Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi), a respected Muslim academic and philanthropist whom the team has been tracking for months, and who is suspected of secretly backing terrorist activity by way of donations to a Cyprus-based shipping company. Bachmann is given 72 hours to pull it all together, thanks to some leverage provided by Martha Sullivan (a raven-haired Robin Wright), a slippery and formidable CIA agent who articulates, not without irony, the ostensible reason why she and Bachmann do what they do: “To make the world a safer place.”

All this has been significantly condensed and reshaped by Australian screenwriter Andrew Bovell (“Lantana,” “Edge of Darkness”) from le Carre’s 2008 novel, but with a meticulousness in keeping with the author’s ruthlessly observant m.o. Directed by Corbijn in a suitably rougher, more workmanlike mode than either “The American” or his stylish black-and-white Ian Curtis biopic “Control,” “A Most Wanted Man” may lack the brooding atmospherics of Tomas Alfredson’s superb adaptation of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (which, like this film, credits le Carre as an exec producer). But the film remains entirely of a piece with the author’s universe in the way that it continually deglamorizes and demystifies the task of intelligence gathering, revealing it to be as taxing and thankless a job as any other, and one where the best and brightest are often beholden to the paper-pushing agendas of their so-called superiors.

In that respect, far from being merely a grab for a broader international audience, the casting of actors like Hoffman and McAdams (the German accents jar for about a minute before the actors vanish into their roles) subtly underscores the universality of this particular story. It may be set in Hamburg, but the themes it addresses — about legacies of failure and incompetence, and the difficulty of getting people to work together even for some elusive collective good — are applicable anywhere, not least in the world of post-9/11 American counterintelligence.

Up until its grimly compelling final stretch, when the pieces of Bachmann’s plan are finally aligned and set in motion, “A Most Wanted Man” is not an action movie in any conventional sense. Thinking and talking are its primary modes of action; the most startling thing we see is a character getting snatched and thrown into the back of a van. If there’s a thrill here, it’s not so much in the plot’s gradual accumulation of twists and turns, but rather in the way le Carre’s bleak, unyielding worldview seeps into your nervous system. Chilly as that sounds, Corbijn brings a sympathetic touch to even the seemingly least significant characters, and he proves especially sensitive to the ways in which all of them are wrestling with an inheritance of sorts — a literal one for Karpov and an emotional one for Richter, whose human-rights work reps a conscious attempt to reject her privileged upbringing.

First among equals in the fine ensemble, Hoffman brings a superbly world-weary quality to the role of Bachmann, whose subtle methods are predicated on a deep understanding of human complexity and the reality that no one is either fully good or fully evil — an insight that makes for good detective work, and good drama as well. Making perhaps the strongest impression among the German actors is the brilliant Nina Hoss (“Barbara”) as Bachmann’s trusted deputy, while Iranian thesp Ershadi (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Taste of Cherry”) brings a natural dignity and gravitas to the role of the targeted Dr. Abdullah.

The film was shot on location in Hamburg by Benoit Delhomme, whose crisp compositions are marred only by a sometimes overly wobbly camera, in a needless attempt to channel a sense of real-world anxiety. Herbert Groenemeyer’s score is subtly deployed in line with the tenor of the proceedings, but nonetheless keeps the picture pulsing along.

Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Premieres), Jan. 17, 2014. Running time: 121 MIN.

• Production: (Germany-U.S.) A Lionsgate (in U.S.) release presented with Roadside Attractions. (International sales: FilmNation Entertainment, New York/Beverly Hills.) Produced by Stephen Cornwell, Gail Egan, Malte Grunert, Simon Cornwell, Andrea Calderwood. Executive producers, John le Carre, Tessa Ross, Sam Englebardt, William D. Johnson. Co-producer, Helge Sasse.
• Crew: Directed by Anton Corbijn. Screenplay, Andrew Bovell, based on the novel by John le Carre. Camera (color), Benoit Delhomme; editor, Claire Simpson; music, Herbert Gronemeyer; production designer, Sebastian Krawinkel; art director, Sabine Engelberg; set decorator, Yesim Zolan; costume designer, Nicole Fischnaller; sound, Gareth Johns; supervising sound editor, Frank Kruse; re-recording mixer, Martin Steyer; special effects supervisor, Peter Wiemker; visual effects supervisor, Malte Sarnes; stunt coordinator, Ronnie Paul; line producer, Arno Neubauer; associate producers, Rhodri Thomas, Klaus Dohle; assistant director, Scott Kirby.
• With: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Homayoun Ershadi, Nina Hoss, Franz Hartwig, Daniel Bruhl, Kostja Ullmann, Vicky Krieps, Mehdi Dehbi, Rainer Bock, Tamer Yigit, Derya Alabora, Herbert Gronemeyer, Charlotte Schwab, Max Vokert Martens, Bernhard Schutz, Martin Wuttke, Ursina Lardi. (English, German dialogue)

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Parents' guide to, a most wanted man.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 2 Reviews
• Kids Say 2 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Philip Seymour Hoffman great in moody, smart spy drama.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that A Most Wanted Man is a spy drama based on a novel by John Le Carre ( The Constant Gardener , Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ). It's also one of the final films of the late, great actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. A woman is abducted and imprisoned by the good guys, who need…

Why Age 16+?

"F--k" is heard several times. "Crap" is heard once.

A woman is abducted, a bag is pulled over her head, and she's held prisoner

The main character drinks whisky and/or brandy in several scenes (in one scene,

Two spies pretend to kiss to avoid being spotted. Several scenes take place in a

Any Positive Content?

Some subtle messages about how the main character wants to do things correctly,

The main character is flawed, drinks and smokes too much, and isn't very nic

Parents need to know that A Most Wanted Man is a spy drama based on a novel by John Le Carre ( The Constant Gardener , Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ). It's also one of the final films of the late, great actor Philip Seymour Hoffman . A woman is abducted and imprisoned by the good guys, who need her help in catching a bad guy. Characters are also violently arrested, and there's a car crash. A character describes how his mother was raped at age 15 and died during childbirth. Language is infrequent but does include several uses of "f--k." Two characters pretend to kiss to avoid being spotted, and some scenes take place in a "red light" district with sex shops shown in the background. The main character drinks and smokes in several scenes, though he never appears to have a dependency problem. Though the material overall isn't terribly edgy, the movie is slow and thoughtful and isn't likely to have wide teen appeal.

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A woman is abducted, a bag is pulled over her head, and she's held prisoner -- but her captors are the good guys, and there's no sense of real danger, though she is treated somewhat roughly during her stay. A man tells a harrowing story of his childhood. His father raped his mother when she was just 15, and she died when he was born. An old woman and her grown son are arrested; the son is smashed up against a wall. There's a car crash and some struggling as people are arrested.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

The main character drinks whisky and/or brandy in several scenes (in one scene, he adds something from a flask into a coffee) and smokes several cigarettes. He doesn't appear to have a dependency problem, but these things do appear to be the result of feeling down and out. Other supporting characters are also seen drinking throughout the film.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Two spies pretend to kiss to avoid being spotted. Several scenes take place in a red light district with "sex shops" in the background.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Some subtle messages about how the main character wants to do things correctly, taking his time, while his bosses demand quick results, regardless of how well the job is done. Based on a past failure, the main character has learned to take his time, so as not to endanger those he works with. A small crime is overlooked so that a larger crime can be accounted for. A secondary character chooses not to accept millions of euros that are rightfully his because he disagrees with how the money was obtained.

Positive Role Models

The main character is flawed, drinks and smokes too much, and isn't very nice, but he seems to be willing to work hard to do the right thing. Some secondary characters are likewise prone to do what they think is best.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (2)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Strip club scene and Sex trafficking district

A thriller in the classic style, what's the story.

Burned-out German intelligence officer Gunter Bachmann ( Philip Seymour Hoffman ) works in Hamburg, Germany, where the 9/11 attacks were planned. A young half-Chechen, half-Russian immigrant, Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) -- a possible ex-jihadist -- turns up, sending Bachmann's people on high alert. Human rights attorney Annabel Richter ( Rachel McAdams ) plans to secure Karpov a multi-million euro inheritance from his father. Bachmann enlists the help of Richter and of banker Tommy Brue ( Willem Dafoe ) and -- using Karpov as bait -- hopes to catch a much bigger fish: a respected philanthropist who's suspected of using a shipping company to finance terrorist activity. But Bachmann's clueless bosses are beginning to lose patience.

Is It Any Good?

With controlled, restrained filmmaking that allows for mood-enhancing moments, former music video maker Anton Corbijn ( Control , The American ) is the right man for this John Le Carre-based thriller. With a strong screenplay by Andrew Bovell, Corbijn's highly intelligent A MOST WANTED MAN is patient with its details, uses urban locations to gloomy effect, and revels in soft-spoken, spring-loaded conversations. But it's all centered around one great character, Gunter Bachmann.

As played by the late Hoffman in one of his finest performances, Bachmann is always fascinating (never mind that Hoffman conjures up an impressive German accent). He's great at his job but feels like a second-class citizen due to past mistakes. He drinks and smokes and carries himself in a way that feels caught between success and failure. Corbijn confidently keeps the balance between the larger cat-and-mouse game and Bachmann's own, personal risk; the movie's final moment may haunt you for some time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the main character's drinking and smoking . How often does he do it? Does he seem to have a problem? What seems to be the source of his substance use?

How violent or fast-moving is A Most Wanted Man ? How does it compare to other spy movies you may have seen? Does its slow pace make it seem boring? More exciting? Smarter?

What sacrifices are made in this movie for a greater good? Did it seem like a wise choice?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 25, 2014
• On DVD or streaming : November 4, 2014
• Cast : Philip Seymour Hoffman , Rachel McAdams , Willem Dafoe
• Director : Anton Corbijn
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studios : Lionsgate , Roadside Attractions
• Genre : Thriller
• Topics : Book Characters
• Run time : 121 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : language
• Last updated : November 24, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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