The Constant Gardener DVD Review (Ralph Fiennes) Empire Movies

THE CONSTANT GARDENER DVD REVIEW

The Constant Gardener
(Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

The Movie

The Extras

Reviewed by

8.5/10

7.5/10

Liam

I want to get this out of the way first - I hated The English Patient. I must be like Elaine from Seinfeld, because that movie just makes me want to scream. I say this only because it stars Ralph Fiennes. Normally, with any movie that leaves that bad a taste in my mouth, I can't stand the actors in them. But Ralph Fiennes is different. Besides that stain on his resume, the guy just continues to crank out some quality films - and The Constant Gardener is one of those films.

In The Constant Gardener, Fiennes plays a British diplomat in search of answers as to why his wife (Rachel Weisz) was murdered. (Sorry, I know that's a bit of a spoiler but it happens in the first 5 minutes of the movie and is pretty much the catalyst for everything that follows.) So, we travel back and forth in time looking at their relationship, how they met, and everything that happened leading to her brutal and untimely death. As the story unfolds, we learn about some of the injustices that occur in this world without us even knowing. How people are used as pawns in the games played by corporations and governments the world over.

It's not a pretty movie and it's not a pretty subject. But I'm guessing it's an accurate depiction of just how shitty the world is and how, when people try to change things, they end up being destroyed in the mighty name of greed and politics. It sort of makes you want to go live under a rock somewhere and forget that the rest of the world even exists.

Bonus features on this DVD begin with 10 minutes worth of deleted scenes and an extended scene showing the play the is performed in the movie. For features, there is "Embracing Africa" which looks at filming the movie in Kenya, "From Page to the Screen: John le Carre" which looks at the road taken to get le Carre's novel turned into a feature length motion picture, and finally the behind-the-scenes feature "Anatomy of a Global Thriller", which was decent but not as comprehensive as I felt it could've been.

This isn't a movie for everyone. I consider myself to be intelligent and aware of things that are going on in the world, but I'd probably have to watch this movie a couple of more time to actually let it all sink in. Yes, it's a political thriller, but it's not about spies and guns and terrorists. It's about injustice politics and the corporate terrorism that seems to go on every day without people batting an eyelash. If you think that sort of thing might interest you, you owe it to yourself to see this movie.

Features
Deleted Scenes, Extended Scene, Embracing Africa: Filming in Kenya, John Le Carre: From Page to the Screen, Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener

Video
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio
English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish

Release Date
January 10, 2006

Rating
R

Length
129 mins.

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