(rated R)
Here’s what should be a simple plot. A tailor reluctantly becomes a spy for a British agent (Pierce Brosnan), except its not quite that simple. Brosnan, a sharp shooter, smooth talking James Bond type, goes to Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush) a Saville Row tailor who works magic with herringbone silks and wool blends, but never gets paid for his stitching. Andy Osnard (Brosnan) seizes the opportunity to ring Pendel into his plot “you’ve got the debts, I’ve got the money” and flashes $5,000 in his face. Suddenly Pendel is thrust into the espionage of Panama, which is “Casablanca without heroes” and a wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) who thinks he’s having an affair. However, it’s Osnard who recruits information by seducing women, including Catherine McCormack who is very supportive of Osnard’s endeavors (bedroom romps usually have that effect). There’s cocaine, there’s the British embassy, central intelligence, silent opposition and a lot of confusion that come together flawlessly in a wacky mad caper that is amusing, intelligent and shows a tailor can weave stories as well as he spins suits.
