Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy, Daniele Harford, Hubert Kounde, Pete Postlethwaite, Nick Reding, Anneke Kim Sarnau, Donald Apiyo

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Summary: Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, whose previous film, CITY OF GOD, won awards all over the world and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Oscars has crafted another highly entertaining yet important film. Beautifully shot in Kenya, Germany, Sudan, Manitoba, and London, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, based on a bestselling novel by John Le Carre, is an exciting mix of romance and spy thriller. Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle, a low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), is killed, he becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy. Jeffrey Caine's powerful screenplay alternates between flashbacks of Justin and Tessa's relationship and Justin's hunt for the truth, which makes him a target although he doesn't know who is after him. Fine support is offered by Danny Huston as his close friend and confidant, Sandy; Bill Nighy as shady British official Sir Bernard Pellegrin; and Hubert Kounde as Arnold Bluhm, an African doctor who might have been a little too friendly with Tessa. Meirelles's pacing is outstanding, switching effortlessly between political intrigue, action adventure, and love story. And Fiennes and Weisz give strong performances playing complex characters that will continually surprise the audience. THE CONSTANT GARDENER is a thrilling tale from start to finish.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on April 30, 2006 11:58 AM

Ralph Fiennes stars as a widower , determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder and corporate corruption . In a remote area of northern Kenya , activist
Tessa Quayle ( Rachel Weisz ) is found brutally murdered . Her doctor companion has fled the scene and all the evidence points to a crime of passion ... The British High Commission assume that Tessa's mild mannered widower , Justin , will leave the matter to them but , they couldn't be more wrong . Haunted by remorse and rumours of his wife's infidelities , Justin tries to uncover the truth .

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The Constant Gardeneris the kind of thriller that hasn't been seen since the 1970s: Smart, politically complex, cinematically adventurous, genuinely thrilling and even heartbreaking. Mild diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient, Schindler's List) has a loose cannon of a wife named Tessa (Rachel Weisz, The Shape of Things, The Mummy), who's digging into the dirty doings of a major pharmaceutical company in Kenya. Her brutal murder forces Justin to continue her investigation down some deadly avenues.

This simple plot description doesn't capture the rich texture and slippery, sinuous movement of The Constant Gardener, superbly directed by Fernando Meirelles (Oscar-nominated for his first film, City of God). Shifting back and forth in time, the movie skillfully captures the engaging romance between Justin and Tessa (Fiennes shows considerably more chemistry with Weisz than he had with Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan) and builds a vivid, gripping, and all-too-justified paranoia. And on top of it all, the movie is beautiful, due to both its incredible shots of the African landscape (which at times is haunting and unearthly) and the gorgeous cinematography. Featuring an all-around excellent cast, including Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father), and Danny Huston (Silver City).--Bret Fetzer

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Deleted Scenes, Extended Scene Haruma Play In Kibera, Embracing Africa Filming In Kenya, John Le Carre From Page To The Screen, Anatomy Of A Global Thriller Behind The Scenes Of The Constant Gardner
Subtitles:	Castilian
Year:	2005
Release Date:	March 13, 2006
Runtime:	129 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	824 038 9
Keywords:	General, Gardener, Drama, Thriller, Constant
Genre:	Thriller