The Tailor of Panama [DVD] [2001]

The sly conceit at the heart of The Tailor of Panama is that tailors are the secret-keepers of the power elite: customise fine apparel for the rich and powerful, and you'll hear things only whispered in the halls of government. The film was co-adapted by John le Carré from his own novel, and directed by John Boorman with a delicious spin on the traditions of the spy genre. Pierce Brosnan qualifies as James Bond's black-sheep sibling as British MI6 agent Andy Osnard, viewing women only in terms of sexual conquest and conducting spy business by his own flexible set of rules. Banished to Panama to pay for recent indiscretions, Andy connects with Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), a British ex-convict who's built a lucrative cover as tailor to Panama's highest officials. With the coveted Panama canal now under local control, Andy's arrived to see what Harry knows about the canal's pending multinational sale.

As Andy observes, Panama is "Casablanca without heroes", and that's precisely how Boorman depicts it: a melting pot of greed, ambition, and backroom manoeuvring, where Andy can bed an embassy official (Catherine McCormack) while squeezing information from Harry, who concocts a phony "silent opposition" that puts British and American forces on full alert. Harry's wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) is pulled into the scenario by Andy's ruthless scheming, and The Tailor of Panama reveals how a simple fabrication can provoke trigger-happy forces around the globe. Part comedy and part political horror thriller--with a tragic supporting role for Brendan Gleason, from Boorman's The General--this is old-fashioned spy stuff made new by leCarré's inventive plotting and keen ear for the dialogue of rogues. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com