As filming starts in Hamburg on Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, it has been confirmed that both Daniel Bruhl and Willem Dafoe have joined the cast alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright and Rachel McAdams.
The thriller, based upon the John LeCarre novel of the same name kicks off when a “half-Chechen, half-Russian, tortured half-to-death immigrant turns up in Hamburg’s Islamic community, laying claim to his father’s ill gotten fortune, and both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man’s true identity – oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist?”
While this plot summary, taken from a press release, may sound as dry as Ghandi’s flip flop, in the hands of Corbijn it could be an enticing feature. After all, he did manage to make a two hour film with George Clooney pontificating in Italian cafes very watchable.
Bruhl’s breakout turn was in 2003’s Good Bye Lenin! which set him on a path littered with smaller indies until his recent turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds brought him to Hollywood’s attention. He has also just wrapped filming on Ron Howard’s racing flick Rush as Niki Lauda opposite Man-of-the-Moment Chris Hemsworth’s James Hunt.
And if Dafoe’s latest starring role in The Hunter is any indication, we can expect further compelling performances from the actor whose best role in the opinion of this writer was his cameo in eXistenZ. But to each their own.
What do you think of these casting choices? Are you looking forward to the film? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: The Film Stage