“A Most Wanted Man” is adapted from a novel by John le Carré, who also wrote “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, which was adapted into an award winning movie released in 2012. Just like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, “A Most Wanted Man” creates suspense out of mundane details of every day life and grips your attention all the way through.

What adds to this movie’s striking experience is that its leading actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, died of a heroin overdose after years of rehab just a few months ago. Stephen said it was a pity that he was dead because there wouldn’t be a sequel to this movie. But I have other reasons to feel sorry. I’ve watched a couple of his movies in the past but I never liked his acting. His performance seemed always over-dramatic with a sense of cynicism, which came across as if he himself didn’t even believe his character. Once I heard a movie critic say that Philip Seymour Hoffman was too smart to be an actor. Now I understand what it meant. In this movie, he was finally cast as someone who was intelligent and complicated, and his acting was subtle yet genuine, “conveying powerful emotions that connect with the audience at a much deeper level”.