Justin Quayle is a low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife Tessa is killed he becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy.
Meirelles clearly trusts his actors, particularly Fiennes and Weisz: The plot of The Constant Gardener is fairly intricate, but in the end, the story is told mostly in their faces.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
31 Aug 2005
fresh:
Rises to a pitch of terror and outrage that leaves one shaken.
– Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
1 Sep 2005
fresh:
Fiennes carries Le Carre's spirit with a slow-burning performance that operates on two fronts: As a powerful indictment of third-world abuses by pharmaceutical companies, and as a widower's moving investigation into his shattered relationship.
– Scott Tobias,
AV Club,
26 Sep 2005
fresh:
... Ralph Fiennes gives one of the year's subtlest, yet most exciting, screen performances ...
– Ken Tucker,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
9 Dec 2005
fresh:
Fernando Meirelles, codirector of City of God, stresses old-fashioned storytelling and takes full advantage of his cast, including Danny Huston.