THE TAILOR OF PANAMA (2001) **1/2 John Le Carré understands more than a little bit about global (lack of) diplomacy and he, not so much waters it down as provides distractions for mass consumption. John Boorman understands the rhythm and necessity of lack of focus-you can almost hear him yelp, "Ok, let's see what's going on in the nearest bedroom!" The manner in which George Bush set up Panamanian lunatic Manuel Noriega, and then decided to bring him down, could not be set forth more concisely, or with more clarity. Harold Pinter, starring as a ghost of a conscience, must have been only slightly surprised at the laser accuracy of the blunt depiction of MI6 (entirely subservient to U.S. foreign policy), as evidenced by his extraordinary speech in Hyde Park in the days leading to the invasion of Iraq. Pierce Brosnan no doubt thought that he could pull off his lead role, as it's a hybrid of others that he's repeated. And he repeats them in precisely the manner as before-he's entirely convincing in the aspects calling for him to be Remington Steele's evil twin, and entirely unsatisfactory in all things Bond. Dylan Baker is much more entertaining as a religious nut commanding thousands of soldiers to attack in the interests of God which, incidentally, coincide with those of corporate America. Once you get through all that, the heroism of the Panamanian resistance is well depicted, as well as the interior spy dynamic that occasionally crests with relatively intelligent people saying things like "Saddam Hussein can blow us up in 45 minutes. Let's attack him immediately, it should only take two weeks." No wonder people want a distraction. Jamie Lee Curtis has travelled an inconsistent trajectory since Halloween, but in a strange way she's ended up in the same place.
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