Film Reviews

The Constant Gardener

• Rating:
• Director: Fernando Meirelles
• Starring: Hubert Kounde
• Details: UK, 129mins, 15A.

When mild mannered Justin Quayle (Fiennes) receives the news that his wife Tessa (Weisz) has been brutally murdered on a deserted Kenyan road, suspicions turn to her travelling partner (Kounde) who has fled the scene. Justin, determined to quell any doubts of his wife's fidelity and sceptical that her demise was that of a random murder, decides to investigate the real reason of her death. Crossing three continents, Justin uncovers a conspiracy relating to the experimentation of untested TB drugs on naive African villagers and that Tessa, close to routing out the main culprit, was murdered as a result. As Justin gets closer to the answer, he finds himself at the centre of a plot that reaches some members of the British Government. Director Meirelles proves that City of God was no fluke and that documentary, hand-held camera style is in evidence here. Letting the plot tell the story and giving the actors room to manoeuvre, Meirelles weaves a twisty tale without ever reminding the viewer they are watching a film. But The Constant Gardener's true strength comes from the performance of its two leads. Fiennes confirms once again what a first-rate actor of understatement he is and no one is more aware of this than Meirelles when he lets his camera linger on Fiennes' painful face when he is told the news of his wife's death. Fiennes is complimented faultlessly by his co-star Weisz who delivers a feisty and driven contribution.

Review by Gavin Burke