The Tailor of Panama

The Tailor of Panama
Directed by	John Boorman
Produced by	John Boorman John le Carré Kevan Barker
Written by	John le Carré Andrew Davies John Boorman
Starring	Pierce Brosnan Geoffrey Rush Jamie Lee Curtis
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	Berlin International Film Festival February 11, 2001 United States March 30, 2001
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$21 million
Box office	$28,008,462

The Tailor of Panama is a 2001 American film based on the 1996 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré, which was inspired by Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana.^{[citation needed]} It was produced and directed by John Boorman from a screenplay by Boorman, Andrew Davies and John le Carré himself.

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis with Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Radcliffe (in his film debut), David Hayman, Lewis Daly, John Fortune, Catherine McCormack and Harold Pinter, the film was shot at the Ardmore Studios, County Wicklow, Ireland and on location in Panama City, Lake Gatun, and Gamboa, Panama.

Plot

Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) is an MI6 spy exiled to Panama after having an affair with an ambassador’s mistress. He wants to uncover something big that will get him back into London’s good graces. Believing Panama to still be corrupt after General Noriega’s reign, and as the Americans have now given the Panama Canal back to Panama, Osnard concludes that if he can find out where the true balance of power surrounding the canal is, London will want him back.

His informant is a tailor, Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), who is the tailor to many of Panama's elite, including the President of Panama. Pendel, who has a few secrets of his own, is a former convict, a fact that he has carefully kept concealed. Harry's wife, Louisa (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the assistant to the Panama Canal Authority's administrator. Harry is in need of money and doesn’t have the business sense to ask his customers for the money to pay for their suits. Osnard knows that Harry has been lying about his background. He persuades the tailor to spy on the President of Panama, and to find out what he intends on doing with the canal. Pendel agrees and begins spinning stories to keep the money from Osnard flowing.

Pendel briefs Osnard that the President of Panama is going to sell the Panama Canal to the Chinese. He adds that a revolution is being planned by the "Silent Opposition", and eventually inspires a third U.S. invasion of Panama. The British Ambassador to Panama finds out that Osnard is spinning a bunch of tall tales, but only demands a bribe to keep quiet. The invasion is cancelled at the last minute when Louisa goes to the Panama Canal Authority's Administrator and gets him to contact the President of Panama, who calls the U.S. government and gets them to cancel the looming invasion.

Cast and characters

• Andrew "Andy" Osnard - Pierce Brosnan. Osnard is a MI6 officer in Panama who wants to feather his own nest with the money he gets to fund the Silent Opposition.
• Harold "Harry" Pendel - Geoffrey Rush A former convict, who torched his uncle's tailor shop in London to commit insurance fraud, Pendel is struggling to pay bills when Osnard magically shows up.
• Louisa Pendel - Jamie Lee Curtis An American, Louisa has stayed on at the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) after the turnover of the Panama Canal to Panama. She has strong professional respect for the Panamanian Administrator of the PCA
• Marta - Leonor Varela Marta is Harry's secretary at his tailor shop. She was a former member of the opposition to Noriega, and has a scarred face from when she was beaten up by Noriega's police.
• Michelangelo "Mickie" Abraxas - Brendan Gleeson A former member of the opposition to Noriega, Abraxas is disgusted by all the corruption in Panama, and has become a drunk. He is made into the leader of the mythical Silent Opposition by Osnard.
• Uncle Benny - Harold Pinter
• Francesca Deane - Catherine McCormack A diplomat at the British Embassy in Panama, Francesca originally falls in love with Osnard, but later is the only person to turn him in for corruption and lying.
• Mark Pendel - Daniel Radcliffe
• Sarah Pendel - Lola Boorman
• Luxmore - David Hayman
• Rafi Domingo - Mark Margolis
• Maltby - John Fortune
• Ramon Rudd - Jon Polito
• General Dusenbaker - Dylan Baker A Marine, General Dusenbaker was the last American military commander in Panama, and believes there is a "missing star" on the U.S. flag for the former Canal Zone. He is an enthusiastic backer of the invasion.
• Cavendish - Jonathan Hyde

Differences from the novel

The film deviates from the novel in a number of ways, the most significant of which is the status of the Panama Canal. The novel is set in the mid-1990s, prior to the U.S. handing over sovereignty of the canal to Panama. The film is set after this event. A further difference concerns the protagonist's character: the Osnard of the film is a failed foreign service officer exiled to Latin America, where he is unable to embarrass Britain. The Osnard of the book, however, although still an exile, hopes for a "big break" that will pardon him from previous misdemeanors and thus earn him a better posting. Unlike the book, the film ends with the United States ceasing its attacks.

External links

• The Tailor of Panama at the Internet Movie Database
• The Tailor of Panama at AllRovi
• The Tailor of Panama at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Tailor of Panama at Metacritic
• The Tailor of Panama at Box Office Mojo