FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

sergelamarche A bit annoyingly white washy but the story actually made a lot of sense. It holds together well. Because something similar actually happened in the USA, on the natives, which is the object of another film I've seen. The film get its stride after they catch up with the start event. It continues until the end. Good cinema not too Hollywoodian. Very credible story that John Le Carré cooked up is less outrageous than the truth, according to him, and I believe it.

Filipe Neto When I watched this movie I already had some expectations because I had read good reviews and I knew that it had a strong cast. The story also seemed to be very interesting: a British diplomat trying to discover his wife's murderers discovers a corrupt plot between the British government and the pharmaceutical industry, working in Kenya. Needless to say, I think, I was very pleased with the movie. The plot's main subject is strong, moving and human. Actor's work is very competent. The two central characters are affectionate, romantic and passionate, especially Tessa, who defends her ideas with great conviction. This helps a lot to make them dear to the audience, holding our attention until the end. How much of this is pure fiction is something I kept thinking about later. We know that the pharmaceutical industry generates millions, and this causes me (at least to me) some distrust. Has it ever happened, in recent past, something like what happens in this movie? Is it happening now and we don't know? Even if its not, its always a good reason to think on how some countries and regions are exploited. Going back to the film itself, I liked the way it visually explores African landscapes, with cinematography toasting us with scenes of a very beautiful light and color. The work of Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (in my opinion, the best Brazilian film director today) is very competent and gives the film a soft aroma of documentary that tastes good, even though its no more than an illusion. Errors or problems? I didn't feel many, but I think it would improve if it had been kept for longer the mystery surrounding the conspiracy. The public soon realizes what's going on and the real reasons behind Tessa's death, and that takes away the interest and logic of her husband's demand.

Python Hyena The Constant Gardener (2005): Dir: Fernando Meirelles / Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy, Hubert Kounde: Extraordinary thriller set in Africa about finding information. In this case, Ralph Fiennes must learn why his wife and her black lover were murdered. Plot mostly visualized through flashbacks with Fiennes and Rachel Weisz meeting leading to her infidelity and pregnancy. Central plot regards Fiennes searching for answers as to why she was murdered and the dangers he heads towards as her work in Africa becomes too focused. Very sad outcome concludes a detailed screenplay with director Fernando Meirelles giving vent to the hardships in Africa. Fiennes does a fantastic job as his crushed emotions give way to the willingness to complete his wife's work. Weisz is well cast as his wife whose mission was a secret to Fiennes although he comes to appreciate what he truly missed about her. Supporting roles seem more standard than anything. Danny Huston plays the British high commissioner on the scene, and Bill Nighy plays the head of the foreign office. Hubert Kounde plays a doctor first suspected of the murder he is found murdered. One can assume that this doesn't end well but the film is beautifully shot with strong themes regarding hardships of other cultures and carrying on what others began while burying damaged memories. Score: 8 / 10

Prismark10 The Constant Gardener has ingredients that we have seen before but director Fernando Meirelles gives it a mix that gives this thriller a refreshing sheen. It is an adaptation of a John Le Carre novel.Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) is a mild mannered British diplomat in Kenya. His wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz) is a social activist/lawyer involved in poverty and ethical issues. She gets involved as an activist in Kenya much to her husband's misgivings and turns up dead.The evidence points to a doctor that Tessa might have been involved with but Justin decides to dig deep and asks difficult questions to the wealthy and powerful in the region and discovers that his wife was compiling data against a multinational drug company using Africans as guinea pigs for drugs with serious side effects.With flashbacks we get a sense of man discovering who his wife really was, a woman he married more on impulse and were polar opposites. Its a subtle performance from Fiennes. Weisz on the other hand gets to give an earnest and a more showy performance which won her a best supporting actress Oscar.Its an ambitious and even cynical film. You kind of get a sense who the bad guys will be and they cared very little about Justin's plight, the man who was obsessed with his garden until he decided to lift his head out of the soil and see his corporate world-view shift.