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Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Last Stand

“A MOST WANTED MAN” || By FITSNEWS ||  It’s been over a year since actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an apparent heroin overdose – cutting short a brilliant career that spanned more than two decades. The last of his movies to be released while he was alive?  A Most…

“A MOST WANTED MAN”

|| By FITSNEWS ||  It’s been over a year since actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an apparent heroin overdose – cutting short a brilliant career that spanned more than two decades.

The last of his movies to be released while he was alive?  A Most Wanted Man, a spy drama which debuted in January 2014 at the Sundance film festival.  We stumbled upon this little-known gem of a movie in the $5 discount bin at some big box retailer and gave it watch over the weekend.

Directed by Anton Corbijn – famous for his Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Metallica, Nirvana and U2 music videos – A Most Wanted Man is an adaptation of a novel by famed British spy writer John le Carré.  It centers around a German anti-terrorism unit’s efforts to follow the money trail of a suspected al-Qaeda financier.  Set in Hamburg and Berlin, it co-stars Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe and Robin Wright – each of whom gives stellar supporting performances (especially McAdams, who rocks blond curls and a little junk in the trunk for this role).

But Hoffman’s portrayal of German team leader Günther Bachmann is what moves the movie.  It’s positively riveting … effortlessly advancing the ebb and flow of a cerebral thriller which didn’t require a single gunshot (not even as an exclamation point on its climax) to keep us hooked from start to finish.

That’s how good Hoffman is … or was.  And while his performance in A Most Wanted Man will probably never garner the industry accolades showered upon his Oscar-winning portrayal of Truman Capote, it was a compelling reminder of his character acting genius.

And how his genius will be missed …

Sure Hoffman had cameos in the last two movies in The Hunger Games’ franchise (one of which has yet to be released), but A Most Wanted Man was his last leading role – and he absolutely hit it out of the park.

If you haven’t seen the movie, look for it next time you’re out …

It’s worth watching on its own merit, but its status as Hoffman’s coda makes it all the more special.

***

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9 comments

The Buzzman June 1, 2015 at 4:23 pm

Excellent review, Will. I will definitely seek this one out.

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shifty henry June 1, 2015 at 4:24 pm

me too….

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AmandaEJones June 2, 2015 at 1:01 am

$83 / h0ur @mk24

,

—-http://IncentiveMilesPro.uk/online/info

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SYNTwist June 1, 2015 at 7:54 pm

I loved him in Cold Mountain.

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E Norma Scok June 1, 2015 at 10:55 pm

Portrayal of a lifetime in Catching Fire.

You know, for a selfish drug addict.

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mamatiger92 June 2, 2015 at 8:38 am

Great review. PSH is brilliant.

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Fecal Matters June 2, 2015 at 8:42 am

It truly is an excellent picture.

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FastEddy23 June 2, 2015 at 10:24 am

On Netflix now. Great movie, there are other very good actors, but Hoffman shines.

(The woman who plays the U.S. spymaster … she had me fooled, I thought she was a good guy, but …)

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9" June 2, 2015 at 11:03 pm

He was a real actor.So many play themselves in every role.He played some brilliant small parts in other films-Boogie Nights,Happiness(my favorite film ever),Almost Famous(as Lester Bangs),etc.Heroin was originally made by Bayer as a cure for Morphine addiction.It has very few side effects except addiction.You can live a long and successful life when you know what you’re getting.Legalize it.

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