'Constant Gardener' a gritty look at personal loss, conspiracy

 With a title like "The Constant Gardener," you would probably imagine a quiet little slice-of-life drama. In actuality, it is an ambitious and sprawling geopolitical thriller that taps into a subject that has or will affect all of us at some point in our lives: pharmaceutical drugs.

Based on the bestselling novel by John Le Carré, "The Constant Gardener" is the first English-language effort from Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, the Oscar-nominated director of "City of God." It stars Ralph Fiennes as Justin Quayle, a reserved British professor whose humdrum life is given a welcome jolt when he meets, then marries, feisty liberal activist Tessa (Rachel Weisz). Then it all goes terribly awry.

Before the opening credits are done, we see Tessa die in what looks like an ambush on the African coast. On the way to figuring out who killed her and why, Meirelles takes us to all corners of the globe, uncovering an evil international conspiracy that might hit too close to home for some viewers.

In addition to the heady subject matter, the story is presented out of sequence, which, while serving the material well, also makes watching the movie taxing on the audience. It is not a light and breezy walk through the park; if you look away or blink at the wrong moment, you’re sure to miss something.

To call it overreaching might be extreme; any political thriller with this many characters and subplots tends to feel muddled at some point. In so many ways, it’s a great deal like "The Interpreter." That movie, too, was set largely in Africa, had an activist female lead and dealt with major political corruption.

By throwing a large, faceless drug company into the mix, screenwriter Jeffrey Caine is charged with the unenviable task of making us hate an enemy we can’t see (at least in the first two acts). To make up for it, Caine paints more than a few of the supporting players as shadowy suspects who on occasion distract us from the meat and potatoes of the plot. Luckily for Caine, Meirelles draws career-making performances out of every featured player.

Veteran British character actors Bill Nighy and Pete Postlethwaite don’t show up until late, but both steal every scene in which they appear (in one case without saying a word). Danny Huston, son of John and half-brother of Anjelica, lives up to the family legend: He shares virtually every one of his scenes with the formidable and always intense Fiennes and never falters. Most impressive of all is Weisz, who continues to improve on her craft with each subsequent role. Her mix of fiery attitude, soft vulnerability and knowing glances makes for one of the best female performances so far this year. (Focus Features)

The film opens in wide release on Wednesday.

 

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