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The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition)


by Donald Ranvaud, Gail Egan, Henning Molfenter, Jeff Abberley, Julia Blackman, Jeffrey Caine, John le Carré
Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Hubert Koundé, Daniele Harford
Universal Studios

List Price: $14.98
Price: $10.99
You Save: $3.99 (27%)
Available: Usually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank: 6383
Release Date: January 10, 2006
Rated:  
Running Time: 129 minutes
Theatrical Release: August 31, 2005
Studio: Universal Studios


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EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Product Description
A diplomat on the hunt for his wifes murderer uncovers a treacherous conspiracy that will destroy millions of innocent people - unless he can reveal its sinister roots. Based on the novel by john le carre. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 01/23/2007 Starring: Ralph Fiennes Rachel Weisz Run time: 129 minutes Rating: R

Amazon.com
The Constant Gardener is the kind of thriller that hasn't been seen since the 1970s: Smart, politically complex, cinematically adventurous, genuinely thrilling and even heartbreaking. Mild diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient, Schindler's List) has a loose cannon of a wife named Tessa (Rachel Weisz, The Shape of Things, The Mummy), who's digging into the dirty doings of a major pharmaceutical company in Kenya. Her brutal murder forces Justin to continue her investigation down some deadly avenues. This simple plot description doesn't capture the rich texture and slippery, sinuous movement of The Constant Gardener, superbly directed by Fernando Meirelles (Oscar-nominated for his first film, City of God). Shifting back and forth in time, the movie skillfully captures the engaging romance between Justin and Tessa (Fiennes shows considerably more chemistry with Weisz than he had with Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan) and builds a vivid, gripping, and all-too-justified paranoia. And on top of it all, the movie is beautiful, due to both its incredible shots of the African landscape (which at times is haunting and unearthly) and the gorgeous cinematography. Featuring an all-around excellent cast, including Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father), and Danny Huston (Silver City). --Bret Fetzer


CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 289 reviews)

Mind Your Business  
So there's this guy (Super Hot Ralph Fiennes) and he's giving a lecture at this college as a favor for his British diplomat friend. This stupid cow, Tess, completely humiliates him during the lecture in front of a class full of people. He's like totally devastated at being humiliated like that and decides to get full-on revenge on her. To get even, he comes up with a brilliant plan to marry her and take her to the poverty ridden cease pool of Kenya under the guise that he's a diplomat with the British government. In actuality, he's really just a gardener for a real diplomat named Sandy who truly falls in love with the co-ed who humiliated the gardener who gave the lecture in the first place.
But uh-oh. Now she's been murdered along with the gay black guy she's best friends with in Kenya. See, she got bored just sitting around Africa all day and started emailing the charitable drug companies who were providing drugs and vaccines to the Kenyans who can't even afford clean water, threatening them saying she was going to get them in some sort of trouble. She's causing difficulty for them the same way she humiliated her poor innocent gardener husband.
Just guess what happens next.
Well, I guess I already told you. She gets murdered.
Ralph Fiennes is very hot in this film and so if you are an aficionado of Fiennes than this is a must-own. Ralph even started something called The Constant Gardener Trust because when he was in Africa he was shocked and appalled that the Africans didn't have basic sanitation and he wanted people to have a way to donate money so that decent sanitation methods could be built. Never mind the guy has millions sitting around in off-shore accounts and could have easily done the entire continents sanitation needs himself. He'd like you to help. Google, "The Constant Gardener Trust." I did.
If you don't care for Fiennes and are irritated by African music, British accents and bright colors, stay away from this film at all costs.
December 23, 2008

Well made Africa-has-issues flick  
Liked "Blood Diamond"? This one concerns drug companies testing new drugs with fatal side effects, only life is cheap in Africa. So there's a coverup. Actually, the film is a love story. Very well made, quick paced, lots of jerky camera work trying to give the illusion of immediacy. You don't have to be a bleeding heart to appreciate the quality of this film.
November 25, 2008

Political Thriller  
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

Part mystery, part love story, part political thriller, director Fernando Meirelles' THE CONSTANT GARDENER was one of the very best films of 2005.

Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz star in this adaptation of John LeCarre's novel that takes some effective shots at the international pharmaceutical business. Fiennes plays a rather passive British diplomat, stationed in Africa, and Rachel is his activist wife who too often sticks her nose into very dangerous situations that makes some highly placed politicians nervous.

It's no spoiler to reveal that Rachel is murdered, since this event takes place within the first five minutes or so of the movie. Virtually her entire role is seen in flashback sequences, as Fiennes thinks back on their relationship in his quest to learn who killed his wife and why.

His investigation uncovers a sinister conspiracy between big business and members of the British government that will destroy millions of innocent lives if it isn't stopped. Soon, Fiennes finds himself being stalked by the same forces that killed his wife.

Danny Huston, Bill Nighy and Pete Postlethwaite co-star in this superbly acted and scripted nail-biter.

DVD extras include deleted scenes and several "Behind-the-Scenes" featurettes, including a fine one on Le Carre.

© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
October 24, 2008

boring  
I could not watch the whole movie as I found it boring and not credible in parts (when Tessa erupts in an outburst at a lecture). Fiennes' character's reaction was not believable as Tessa came across as a petulant brainwashed student spouting all the rhetoric one is so used to hearing (and with le carre's predictable bias - USA bad UK bad WAR bad, blah blah...) I found Tessa's character cloying and could not identify enough with anyone in this film to make it thru the end. Glad I borrowed it from the library and didn't waste my $ on it.
October 16, 2008

Drug company profits over people  
So black people in Africa and prisoners in American prisons make ideal
test subject for drugs that may have high LD50s?
The young lady had a soul and a desire to make the world better,
for which she was silenced? And her husband may get to the bottom of it the very hard way?
Tobacco, Opium and global warming for the oil companies...history is nothing
if not repeating itself?
October 15, 2008


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