The Constant Gardener

Director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) puts together an interesting, yet sometimes tedious, political thriller about a diplomat named Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) who brings his new wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), to Africa, where she is murdered. Justin takes it upon himself to investigate the death of his wife, leading to many discoveries about the evils of British corporate types. The story deals with the AIDS epidemic in Africa, yet that story is overshadowed by a fictitious plot thread involving pharmaceutical giants fighting to get their products tested and active in the African market. It seems that a great opportunity to study one of the world’s greatest tragedies has been partially wasted. Everything in this film has been said before, but Meirelles does imbibe the movie with the same style and grace that made City of God so remarkable. Fiennes is his usual great self, and Weisz delivers her best performance to date.