The Tailor of Panama (2001)
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77% of critics liked it
(113 reviews) -
43% of users liked it
(12,075 ratings)
Set amidst the controversy of the handover of the Panama Canal from America to Panama in late 1999, this espionage thriller follows seductive British spy Andrew Osnard (Pierce Brosnan), who has found himself recently banished to Panama. When Osnard stumbles into a tailor shop, he meets Harry Pendel… More Set amidst the controversy of the handover of the Panama Canal from America to Panama in late 1999, this espionage thriller follows seductive British spy Andrew Osnard (Pierce Brosnan), who has found himself recently banished to Panama. When Osnard stumbles into a tailor shop, he meets Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), a garrulous sort with an unmatched penchant for "fluence" -- that is, fabricating wild tales with real-life details. Osnard threatens to expose his shady past, until Pendel agrees to provide him with information about the political situation in Panama. Pendel's wife Louisa (Jamie Lee Curtis) tries to remain unscathed by her husband's constant follies, which escalate and put him in the midst of international discord, while also threatening the shaky relationship between himself and Osnard, who cannot escape each other's grasp. Based on John le Carré's popular 1996 novel, the film also features Catherine McCormack, David Hayman, and young Daniel Radcliffe, who completed this film before his starring role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, released later in the year. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Boorman
- Written By
- Andrew Davies, John LeCarre, John Boorman
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Mar 30, 2001 Limited
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
If you think the spy-thriller genre has been streamlined and spoofed and subverted until nothing new can be done to it, think again.
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Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic
Seems diligently assembled.
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Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Elegant, sophisticated and very funny in a sly, subtle, wordy way.
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Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
A literate and entertaining comic thriller.
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Susan Stark, Detroit News
A wise, vivid, thoughtfully textured film.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Pierce Brosnan
as Andy Osnard
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Geoffrey Rush
as Harry Pendel
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Jamie Lee Curtis
as Louisa Pendel
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Brendan Gleeson
as Mickie Abraxas
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Catherine McCormack
as Francesca
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Leonor Varela
as Marta
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Harold Pinter
as Uncle Benny
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David Hayman
as Luxmore
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Mark Margolis
as Rafi Domingo
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Martin Ferrero
as Teddy
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John Fortune
as Ambassador Maltby
- Dylan Baker
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Jon Polito
- Catherine McCormick






