The Tailor of Panama

Special Edition

Summary: Pierce Brosnan stars as Andy Osnard, a British spy (a role that he shouldn't be terribly unfamiliar with) who is re-assigned to Panama to gather intelligence about Panama's plans for the Panama Canal.  Being extremely resourceful, Andy recruits a tailor of fine men's clothing, played by Geoffrey Rush, who exploits his connection with his clients to spy on behalf of Osnard.  Though this is a spy movie, it is very much different from the other British spy movie franchise that Brosnan is involved with.  "The Tailor of Panama" is really more of a drama about the informant, his family and friends.  There are few action scenes or chase sequences that make typical spy movies interesting.
 

The Story

Having crossed the agency, a fallen spy, Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan), is re-assigned to Panama to gather intelligence about the country's plans for the Panama Canal.  Being extremely resourceful, Andy recruits a seemingly unlikely informant, Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), a tailor of fine men's clothing, a loving father, and a devoted husband.  Ah, but Harry has a hidden past which Andy threatens to exploit in order to gain the upper hand.  Harry also has a clientele who is the political "who's who in Panama", and a lovely wife (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) who coincidentally works for the man who is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Panama Canal.  In return, Harry gets monetary assistance to ease his cash flow problems.  Harry and Andy together spin an international intelligence web that demands international attention and action.

Though this is a spy film, it is very much different from the other British spy movie franchise of which Brosnan has been a part.  Not only is the Andy character a lot more crass than the mellow and easy-going James Bond character (there, I said it!), there are far fewer action sequences and chase scenes.  In fact, "The Tailor of Panama" is really in-depth character studies of the tailor's clientele, friends, and family.  Director Boorman has a unique story-telling perspective that needs some getting used to.  Having said that, if you don't expect a lot of action and are interested in a spy-drama, then this movie may have your name on it.

The Extras

"The Tailor of Panama" Special Edition DVD contains the following set of bonus material:

• Audio commentary by director John Boorman

• The Perfect Fit: a conversation with Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush.  Brosnan and Rush discussed the screenplay versus the book, their experience in Panama with the locals, and their respective roles in this movie versus their Brosnan as James Bond and Rush as the Marquis de Sade in "Quills".  This interview gives an inside look into the process of filming and paints some background into the main characters of the movie.  I wish Columbia Pictures has added the deleted scenes which Brosnan referenced during this segment.  This segment will enhance your appreciation for the movie. (23 minutes)

• Alternate ending.  Andy Osnard gets what he deserves!  But the director has a good point to cut it out.

• Filmographies for cast and crew: director John Boorman, Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Gleeson, and Catherine McCormack

• Theatrical trailers for "The Tailor of Panama" and "Les Miserables" in which Geoffrey Rush is the supporting actor.

As a Special Edition, the bonus feature contents of this DVD was barely satisfactory.  I wish there was a segment for deleted scenes and a separate music segment.

Video & Audio

The image quality of this anamorphic widescreen DVD is generally good.  In the first scene with Andy receiving his re-assignment to Panama, the picture quality seems overly soft.  The colors are accurate and saturated, while shadow detail is good.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is well balanced, though the surround sound channels are not aggressively used.  There were several Latin music tracks which sounds very catchy.

 
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones.  Our home theater equipment was calibrated with the Video Essentials DVD.

Be sure to check out our Top 10 DVDs of the year 2001 and our list of this year's Oscar winners on DVD.

Site updated 8.26.2008

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PDA Version /
Mobile Edition

Specifications:

- DVD-Video

- Single-sided

- Dual layer

- Region 1

- Run time: approx. 109 minutes

- Subtitle: English, French

- Menus: Animated (main menu only)

- Scene selection: Static

- Package: Keep case

- 28 chapters
 

Video Features:

- Anamorphic Widescreen

- 2.35:1 aspect ratio
 

Audio Features:

- English: Dolby Digital 5.1

- English: Dolby Surround

- French: Dolby Surround

Release Dates:

Theatrical Release:
03/20/2001

DVD Release:
09/11/2001

Review Date:
09/03/2001

List price:
$ 24.95

On-line price:
$ 18.71

Pre-order price was:
$ 18.71

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