Fernando Meirelles, codirector of City of God, stresses old-fashioned storytelling and takes full advantage of his cast, including Danny Huston.

| Nov 27, 2007

While le Carre's narrative returns an unequivocal guilty verdict on the drug companies, the jury on Meirelles's storytelling abilities remains hung.

| Jan 20, 2007

Serious, topical filmmaking of a very high order.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 1, 2006

Fiennes and Weisz, who have worked together before in Istvan Szabo's Sunshine, make a glamorous pair. And while this may not have been the effect le Carre was after, it does no lasting damage to his theme.

| Jan 17, 2006

... Ralph Fiennes gives one of the year's subtlest, yet most exciting, screen performances ...

Full Review | Dec 9, 2005

There is a terrific pulse of energy in this film, a voltage which drives it over two hours.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 6, 2005

This haunting film will linger with you as a portrait of love lost and found.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 25, 2005

Fiennes carries Le Carr's spirit with a slow-burning performance that operates on two fronts: As a powerful indictment of third-world abuses by pharmaceutical companies, and as a widower's moving investigation into his shattered relationship.

Full Review | Sep 26, 2005

Canny and well-crafted.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 4, 2005

Fiennes does more with silence than almost any actor I've ever seen. An early scene where he learns of his wife's death is stunning, the emotions passing through him as he slowly waters the plants in his office as multifaceted and profound...

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 3, 2005

Rises to a pitch of terror and outrage that leaves one shaken.

| Original Score: A- | Sep 1, 2005

Meirelles clearly trusts his actors, particularly Fiennes and Weisz: The plot of The Constant Gardener is fairly intricate, but in the end, the story is told mostly in their faces.

| Aug 31, 2005

The Constant Gardener is beautifully structured, an artful mix of forward motion and flashbacks.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 31, 2005

The director's fluttering hand keeps the ground constantly shifting beneath our feet, which is just what this beautifully wrenching adaptation for the screen requires.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 31, 2005

Smart, well-crafted and satisfying.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 31, 2005

The filmmaker's assurance and vision in reimagining the novel are downright inspiring.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 31, 2005

Viewers who like real-world issues interwoven with their fiction -- much in the style of author John Le Carr, whose novel is the basis for this movie -- should find plenty to chew on.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 31, 2005

A character-driven drama of actual import that delivers a message and dramatic punch, but with a visual edginess and narrative ingenuity that is in the service of the story, as opposed to the filmmaker's cleverness.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 31, 2005

The Constant Gardener manages to fight through its own pretensions to deliver a tale you care about, featuring characters you care for.

| Original Score: B | Aug 31, 2005

If it sends audiences home to log on to the Amnesty International website, terrific -- but that still doesn't make it a very good movie.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 31, 2005