Susan Granger’s review of “The Constant Gardener” (Focus Features)
Timely and trenchant, Fernando Meirelles’ screen version of John Le Carre’s sociopolitical best-seller is a suspenseful, intelligent, romantic thriller that’s filled with international intrigue. The story begins in London as Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a mild-mannered, mid-level British diplomat, delivers a pompous speech which is challenged by Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an antagonistic activist. Sparks fly. Soon they’re married and off to Kenya, where he works with the British High Commission and tends his flowers while she battles the AIDS epidemic with an African doctor (Hubert Kounde). But then Tessa’s found dead, allegedly in a car accident. Grief-stricken, Justin becomes suspicious as the superficial fabric of their lives unravels. Risking his life along with his career, he reluctantly uncovers a subtle conspiracy involving pharmaceutical industry corruption that turns human suffering among Third World populations into big business. Collaborating with screenwriter Jeffrey Caine, Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) effectively uses non-linear story-telling, involving flashbacks, to evoke a visceral sense of urgency. Rachel Weisz projects a searing image of ferocious indignation while Ralph Fiennes captures Justin’s controlled, ineffectual passivity. The only element lacking is chemistry between them, primarily because, as a leading man, Fiennes is so low voltage. Exemplary performances by Danny Huston, Bill Nighy, Richard McCabe, Pete Postlethwaite and Gerald McSorley, among others, lend docu-drama veracity, as does Cesar Charlone’s eye-catching cinematography and Claire Simpson’s impeccable editing. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Constant Gardener” is a challenging, provocative 9, relentlessly delving into resonant, relevant issues.
