90
The film is able to be a thriller, a political statement and a haunting romance all at once.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The New Yorker by Anthony Lane
Think about it a day later, though, and its hectic swoop from romance to thriller to campaign manifesto leaves oddly little afterglow. The gardener is the only constant here; so much else burns up and blows away.
80
A smart, beautiful piece of storytelling, attentive to Le Carré's broad intent, while boldly taking a knife to his more egregious longueurs.
75
With almost palpable anger, Meirelles hammers home the point that crushing poverty is only one problem for Africa that the West needs to do something about.
75
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Talky and intelligent, and never takes the cheap way out. It's also something of a downer.
90
New York Magazine (Vulture) by Ken Tucker
Ralph Fiennes gives one of the year's subtlest, yet most exciting, screen performances.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt
His (Fernando Meirelles) impressionistic, guerilla style of filmmaking works surprisingly well in capturing the hypnotic urgency of le Carre's fiction. And his viewpoint is less British and more Third World.
91
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
The movie is smart, serious, and adult about something that matters, but not at the expense of a kind of awful, sensual revelry as le Carré's capacious plot hurtles to its big finish.
88
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Director Fernando Meirelles and screenwriter Jeffrey Caine put a human face on John le Carre's novel of sex, lies and dirty politics in modern Africa. Prepare for a thrilling ride.
80
Succeeds in capturing the book's essential themes and concerns, albeit in a hectic style that could not be more antithetical to that of the literary master of international intrigue.