Go into A Most Wanted Man expecting the familiar tone and pace of fellow John le Carré adaptation Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and you won’t be disappointed.

Corbijn’s direction is a little more gruff and irritable than Alfredson’s, and with DP Benoît Delhomme he casts a fluorescent yellow pallor over a Hamburg sickly with internal battles and fear of terrorism.

There is a quiet sense of resignation to Philip Seymour Hoffman as German security agent Günther. Fighting an invisible enemy he retains a world-weary presence as he clings dumbly to the demands of the case – the only salvation he can see. Nothing more than hindsight, perhaps.

The 2-star reviews floating around are genuinely baffling. This is a film that requires and rewards a little patience, with a superb swansong from Hoffman and an excellent McAdams matching Corbijn’s strong direction.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Grigoriy Dobrygin

DIRECTOR: Anton Corbijn

WRITERS: Andrew Bovell, John le Carré

SYNOPSIS: A German security agent strives for the most noble path possible while fighting terror threats and the efforts of rival security agencies.