The Bottom Line
Pros
- Political thriller involving a pharmaceutical testing drugs on a Third World population
- Strong performances by Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz
- Location shooting in Kenya
Cons
- Second half of movie felt tedious to me at times
- I never made much of an emotional connection with the film
- Movie seems too much like a docudrama, and I didn't find it satisfying as a story
Description
- DVD containing political thriller "The Constant Gardener" (2005)
- Film stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz
- Movie based on novel by John le Carré and directed by Fernando Meirelles
- DVD has over 10 minutes of deleted scenes plus an extended scene that runs over 9 minutes
- DVD contains 9-and-a-half-minute featurette about shooting in Kenya
- DVD has 8-minute featurette where John le Carré discusses adapting his novel to the screen
- DVD contains 11-and-a-half-minute behind-the-scenes featurette
- MPAA Rating: R for language, some violent images and sexual content/nudity
- Feature run time: 2 hours 9 minutes
- DVD release date: January 10, 2006
Guide Review - "The Constant Gardener" DVD
"The Constant Gardener" Movie Summary
Based on the novel by John le Carré and directed by Fernando Meirelles, this political thriller stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. The story is set mostly in Kenya, where Justin Quayle (Fiennes) is a mild-mannered British diplomat and his wife Tessa (Weisz) is a feisty social activist. When Tessa is murdered, Justin investigates and finds out there was much he didn't know about his late wife. He also uncovers a web of corruption involving pharmaceutical companies and government bureaucracies.
"The Constant Gardener" DVD Review
I found this political thriller involving a pharmaceutical testing drugs on a Third World population entertaining and thought-provoking, although the second half of the movie felt tedious to me at times. I was impressed by the strong performances of Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. Also, the location shooting in Kenya made this a particularly cinematic film. However, I never made much of an emotional connection with the movie, possibly because it seems too much like a docudrama, and I didn't find it satisfying as a story. That being said, it was an entertaining and smart movie. I had just hoped for more, given the talents of the stars and director. The bonus materials on the DVD run about 50 minutes, and although they are not great, I didn't mind watching them. But "The Constant Gardener" is worth renting for the entertainment value of the movie itself.
