The Constant Gardener Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Gripping tragic love story hidden behind a propaganda thriller

I didn't know what to expect but this movie hit lots of my favourite buttons. Fiennes and Weisz are outstanding, and are supported by Bill Nye (always excellent - here the exact opposite of his Love Actually role), Pete Postlethwaite, and other familiar faces.

The ostensible plot revolves around nasty capitalist pharma companies killing innocent Africans, in cahoots with the naughty British government. Amidst many beautiful settings (in London and in Africa), there is the occasional overwraught scene by the famous Brazilian director. There are marriages, mistresses and MI6 - complete with references to Bond.

But despite the minor gripes, overall the story is compelling, the (white, British) characters charismatic, and your initial ebb and ultimate flow are completely controlled thru-out in a master performance. One to watch for 2006 Ocars.

Another Master piece

This movie is absolutely amazing, it is simply an exercise in trying to open people's eyes.

Politics aside, this movie is gripping in all aspects. Ralph Fiennes is on the highest marks as Justin Quayle — he really makes you care about what his character is searching for. Rachel Weisz, though not given the biggest part, is great. The supporting cast, such as Bill Nighy, is also quite amazing. Not to mention how great the cinematography is.

The scenes in Kenya are amazing — the people, the life, and the natural beauty. The film is a full throttle thriller, but is also based in a very human story of how we need to realize some of the injustices that happen every day and do what we can to change it.

Being of Kenyan descent, the movie moved me to tears. The seriousness to which the director shoots the scenes totally lets the audience get what he is trying to potray.

Alot like gardening...BORING!

This film is like a documentry on Africa. I could only watch 30 mins of this and most of that was in fast forward. I had heard so much about this movie, but when I came to watch it most of what I had heard was very wrong. I didn't get it, not what I had expected at all.

high expectations were let down (spoilers)

I went to see this with high expectations, remembering the impactful experience that was watching City of God in the cinema. Having read a couple of favourable reviews also helped to build up expectations. I found it a very mixed bag. Fernando Meirelles is an impressive director, but I can never really set aside the feeling while watching his films that I am seeing a slightly 'sophisticated advertising' version of things. His prolonged experience in directing adverts in Brazil has left too strong a mark, for my taste. He also has a good go at directing a mostly British cast in a more emotional, warts and sweat approach that can feel quite brazilian. But the result is mixed. Sometimes I believe the characters are living real and intimate relationships on screen. But most of the time there is for me a sense of awkwardness, as if people were trying to be more relaxed and real on screen than they are really managing. The fact that the director doesn't speak English as a first language doesn't help. He can't really tell when the actors are not sounding believable. As a result they aren't, for most of the film. I also really miss seeing a fully three dimensional African character. It seems like only Caucasian people in the film have any depth, while all the black people become more or less undifferentiated faces in the crowd. There's one black guy that has a bit more screen space, but his only depth is the 'discovery' that his character is gay. This may well be a problem of the novel, but it could have been changed in the script. Having said all this, the subject matter is still quite interesting. It's better to see someone having a go at questioning corporate lack of human decency than not. Some of the images in the film are arresting. The music is really good when it goes for the African sounds, if a bit overdone. Not good in the first love scene of the main characters, with much bleached out stocking pulling over soft jazzy sounds, quite cringe worthy in my book. The actors also seem a bit embarrassed. They may win Oscars, which I'm sure will compensate.

Caution - not for migraine sufferers

A pasty-faced, uninteresting young English actress with a bad walk has sex and then goes to Africa with a foppish diplomat (a characteristically average Ralph Fiennes) and tries to act her way out of a paper bag, Kristin Scott-Thomas being busy when a strong but elegant posh bird was needed. The Constant Gardener (the book) was groaning with public school hooray, but not a plummy actor to be found - or did I miss them all while I was coping with my vertigo from all the wild cutting from one medium close-up to another? This film is so over-edited that when you get to the scene where Julian goes to the aptly named Ham's home you have no idea at first who's in the room. What vile cinematography - all that hand-held ducking and diving and whirling and tipping. But then what's in the shot isn't very attractive. Only the dust and shacks and crowds of Africa are shown, and cities are chromey, glassy and monochrome, like a police mini-series. In fact it's the ugliest film I've seen in eons.

That wouldn't be so bad if the takes lasted longer than two seconds. The upshot is it's difficult to concentrate on the narrative. This is a plot-heavy, information-laden political story; some stillness within the frame would have been useful to give us the occasional nanosecond to reflect on what we're being told about large pharmaceutical companies' dodgy practices. But No. Julian can't even walk down a hotel corridor without a hyperactive camera swooping along behind him like a flock of deranged swallows.

This is a story with an important message. If you want to know what it is you might want to buy the book.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Not quite a 10/10 but very close

From the director of the much acclaimed City Of Gold, The Constant Gardner always promised to be an excellent movie and there is very little negative feedback I could give. This movie is gripping throughout and a fine example of how a movie can be gritty and powerful without having continuous action, having watched the very dull and slightly pretentious The New World this weekend this movie provided a welcomed contrast. Set mostly in Kenya but following the lead characters throughout Africa and Europe and The Constant Gardner is wonderfully produced and includes some amazing cinematography that encapsulates the very finest and the most tragic of African life intertwined neatly with the possible political corruption that could and in all probability does exist within our very own government system. The story follows a diplomat, Justin, played wonderfully by Fiennes and his passionate wife (Weisz) as they stumble across a deep and well protected secret in Africa. The film moves at a steady pace throughout and kept us gripped with its well blended mixture of action, romance, corruption, politics and tragedy as the tale unfolds to a powerful climax. Some viewers might find the film a little slow in places but for us the movie worked perfectly on almost all levels and we like many would have to recommend to most potential viewers. Not quite a 10/10 but very close, 9/10. 5 Stars.

What a load of CRAP

Rather have forks stuck in my eyes. A load of poncy actors up-themselves talking in that typical understated British way. At least with Rambo you knew what to expect. In reallity NO stars.

A truly stunning thriller

Being a huge fan of Meirelles’ first movie "City of God" I was desperate to see what he did next. And I was not disappointed. The movie is an excellently crafted piece, with a pace that picks up and gains momentum all the way through. All the acting is well executed, especially considering the complexity of the characters and the script. Rachel Weisz received an Oscar for her performance.

I’m always a fan of style and cinematography in films, which "City of God" excelled in. In “The Constant Gardener” this is also very well done and was aided by it being filmed entirely on location with any extras being local Kenyans, all adding to authenticity and atmosphere.

Although this is not exactly based on a true story the politics and circumstances could well be believed as fact. This draws you in further and you believe the story and characters even more.

I was close to giving the film a full 7 score but it’s not quite a true masterpiece. However, it’s hugely hugely recommend to anyone looking for something more ethical and intelligent than most of Hollywood's offerings.

Much more than just an action thriller

Perhaps it's just me, but when this film came out I think the marketing missed some tricks because I dismissed it as just another pointless action thriller.

I finally watched it after many friends had recommended it and was shocked at how much more to this film there is.

The film is actually primarily a wake-up call for the West to recognise the appalling corruption and abuse of lilfe that our goverments condone in Africa in the name of commerce and the stock market.

The direction, cinematography and acting are all stunning but it is the story which really knocks the wind out of you. I hope the Oscars it has recieved will mean that more people will see it and realise the kind of thing we are complicit in without knowing. This is a very important film and deserves all the exposure it can get!

Disappointing

This movie looks pretty but is disappointing, because it doesn't really know what it wants to be. It falls short as a love story, as a political thriller and most obviously as a film about Africa. Once again we have a film about Africa with Africans relegated to bit parts and background shots of disease and poverty. The drugs plot is utterly ludicrous. Probably they were too scared to look at the real life issue of AIDS and anti-retrovirals. Why? Why indeed? Now there's a story that would really put the cat among the pigeons.