A lot of fun.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I liked Tailor when it came out and I liked it at home in 2016. For those who find it problematic, please note that it's "based" on a John Le Carre novel. His novels are cynical. But why write more than this? I guess that's why I don't submit simple like-or-dislike reviews to IMDb. Back in 2002 several reviewers, probably seeing the 10-line requirement, got rolling and over and over again told readers what the plot was, who the main characters were, how the characters filled out the plot, how wonderfully ironic the movie was, and finally how much they either liked or disliked the movie. I read about a half dozen of those reviews and now know what the reviewers saw and thought of the movie. Voila. I also know now why the reviews are so like one another except in the fine points of liking or disliking. Why in heaven's name does IMDb insist on reviews stuffed with plot lines and character descriptions in one review after another after another? Also, some review readers and movie viewers may very well find such long-winded reviews to be spoilers because of all the detail reviewers have inserted. Oh yes, and Tailor was very atmospheric.

This is a great Greeneland-style spy film. If you like Le Carre-type British secret servicemen in a Graham Greene setting, this is for you. There are definite hints of Our Man in Havana here and Le Carre takes this feel and runs with it to great effect.There are great three-dimensional characters performed with alacrity by some great acting talent. The screenplay is sharp and witty. There was barely an explosion in sight either.It's been described as a deeply satirical, grown up thriller and that is a pretty apt description.There was a brief and unnecessary scene of bad CGI helicopter gunships but, apart from that, what's not to like?

This is a pleasant if somewhat uneven film that takes the starch out of the spy thriller genre and features two fun performances by Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush.Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) is a disgraced British spy who's shipped out to Panama to keep an eye on the canal. Andy, a burned out, licentious scoundrel, enlists Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush) as an informer. Harry used to be the personal tailor of Manuel Noreiga and now makes suits for the rich and powerful men of Panama City. Harry is deeply in debt, lying about his past and married to Louisa (Jaime Lee Curtis), a woman who works for the Panama Canal Authority. Harry knows some things, bits of gossip and unthinking mentions that a man's tailor hears on occasion, but none of it is the sort of information that Andy demands to impress his bosses at MI 6. So, Harry starts making stuff up about the president of Panama looking to sell the canal and how two of Harry's friends are secret anti-government rebels. At first Harry just wants to get Andy off his back, but then he starts to turn the lies to his advantage. Unfortunately, Andy is trying to do the same thing, when he's not seducing a woman at the British embassy. It all leads to tragedy and a potential international incident where Louisa needs to save her husband and the whole country of Panama.Adapted from the novel by John le Carre, The Tailor of Panama is smartly written, effectively directed and well acted. The acting is the standout element of the film, with Rush and Brosnan delivering award worthy work. Brosnan is clearly having a good time playing a seedy, low-rent version of James Bond that's as close as the real world ever gets to such a guy. Rush deftly threads the needle of a character who is both manipulated and manipulator. Jamie Lee Curtis' Louisa is a bit of a third wheel in the story, but Curtis gives her enough substance to stand up to Brosnan's and Rush's performances. The only questionable effort from the entire cast is Brendon Gleeson's plainly variable accent. He's a British actor playing a Panamanian character and he clearly sounds like a Brit playing a Panamanian.The only complaint I could make about this movie is that it has a large number of parts and they're not knitted together that smoothly. The story isn't just about Harry and Andy. It's about Harry and Louisa, Andy and the woman from the British Embassy, Harry and his Panamanian friends, a commentary on post-Noreiga Panama, a look at realistic intelligence gathering, geopolitical farce and even outright whimsy as Harry's old uncle appears to him throughout the movie like the Ghost of Christmas Past. The film never quite creates a tone to encompass all of that, so it's always establishing a certain mood and then jerking you out of it to go in a different direction. It's a minor quibble, though, for a pretty good movie.The Tailor of Panama also gives us a brief glimpse of Jamie Lee Curtis' bare bosom, proving that she hasn't lost much since the days of Trading Places. There's a lot to enjoy in the film besides that, but it's a nice bonus to a relaxed and slightly sardonic take on international espionage. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you give this movie a try.

The Tailor is a poor copy of a 1959 movie Our Man in Havana. The story is by Graham Greene and staring Alec Guinness. There are two points here.1. How could le Carre rip off Greene? (I have not read the le Carre book, so I don't know if he gives Greene credit.)2. How could this mediocre remake be taken as a good movie by anyone.Please watch the original then reply.xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx