THE CONSTANT GARDENER

Review: When a British diplomat’s wife turns up dead in Kenya, he is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife’s murder. He finds out that his wife has been involved in big business and also corporate corruption.
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Hubert Kounde, Bill Nighy, Donald Sumpter, Archie Panjabi, Gerard McSorley, Juliet Aubrey, Pete Postlethwaite, Anneke Kim Sarnau, John Keogh, Jeffrey Caine, Rupert Simonian and Teresa Harder
Year: 2005
Genre: Drama and Romance
Conclusion: 4/5
I have to say that I do get confused with this and The English Patient (1996) and find them both very similar. This is a very intelligent film and has a very interesting visual style to it. Fernando Meirelles has done a fantastic job directing this film and such a hard topic. Rachel Weisz gives a fantastic performance although I have seen Ralph Fiennes do better performances in other films. I have to say that I do find Bill Nighy hard to take seriously. I am not sure whether this was the right part for him to play. At times it did play out a bit like a documentary and felt it lost its plot a bit in the middle. I am not quite sure on the ending and found it a bit on the ridiculous side. I did enjoy the score which was composed by Alberto Iglesias. Based on a novel by John le Carre. Apparently the novel was originally banned in Kenya because it depicts corrupt Kenyan officials. It is not an enjoyable film but a good solid piece of work. This project was originally slated for Mike Newell to direct. Eva Green was originally cast as Tessa Quayle, but had to drop out due to other commitments. Others that auditioned to replace her were Kate Winslet and Nicole Kidman. The main themes that occur in this story are deception and betrayal. At the Academy Awards in 2006 this won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Rachel Weisz). At the Golden Globe Awards in 2006 this won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Rachel Weisz). At the Bafta Awards in 2006 this won for Best Editing.