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The tailored lies of Panama’s tailor

Based on the 1996 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré, The Tailor of Panama is a film which sees the combining of acting talents of Geoffrey Rush and Pierce Brosnan to deliver a thriller for which the screenplay had been written by the author John le Carré with Boorman and Andrew Davies.

The story shows Andy Osnard, an MI6 spy reassigned to Panama to something of demoted station as a penalty for having had an affair in Madrid with the foreign minister’s mistress.

Osnard, played devilishly by Brosnan, is warned of the corruption present in Panama, but he sees it as an opportunity. A host of reliable references leads Osnard to Harry Pendel, who is the tailor to many of Panama’s elite, including the President. Interestingly, Pendel, has kept his criminal background hidden rather successfully. He is married to Louisa, who is the assistant to the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority. Harry is a superb tailor but a bad businessman. The evidence is obvious as his tailor shop is frequently in debt.

Information

Pendel’s need for money, leads Osnard to offer him help, on the condition that Pendel feeds him information about the elite of Panama City and Pendel agrees. However, Osnard tells Pendel he needs better information to keep the arrangement going, and now he can also threaten to reveal that Pendel has been spying.

Apart from expert tailoring Pendel proves another talent, which is to “tailor” stories, making them fit better, escalating the roles of friends to make them appear more significant than they are.

Pendel’s friend Mickie, a local drunkard, is cast as a revolutionary who still holds sway over the youth of Panama. His shop manager he transformed into the leader of an opposition movement.

After fixing the suit of the President of Panama, one day, he comes up with a tale that the President intends to sell the canal to China. Although he finds it hard to believe, Osnard does not care if it is true, as long as it is believable to his superiors.

As he conveys this misinformation, it eventually makes its way to Washington, where officials are alarmed and plan an invasion to prevent the canal from falling into Chinese hands. Pendel, meanwhile, seeks to end his spying, saying the opposition won’t listen to him because it needs funds.

Control

Osnard asks how much, and Pendel says a figure he thinks is high enough to put off Osnard a whopping ten million dollars. Osnard then relays a request to fund the opposition as a means to control Panama after this supposed revolution.

He asks for fifteen million. At the Pentagon the figure escalates to 20 million, which then gets pushed back down to fifteen.

Osnard’s boss arrives with a briefcase containing the money, ready to meet the opposition, while an aerial assault is planned on the city.

The British Ambassador discovers what Osnard has been up to, and threatens to reveal everything. Osnard offers to bribe him and they haggle over the price, settling on 1.25 million for his silence and cooperation. Osnard manages to ditch his superior and make off with the briefcase.

Pendel’s wife who never approved of Osnard, finds out what Pendel has been doing.

She races to the Administrator’s office, who contacts the President of Panama, who is able to contact the US government and have the invasion called off.

During this confusion, Osnard makes it to the airport, where he meets the Ambassador and hands him his bribe. The Ambassador allows Osnard to make it to an airplane.

The story ends with the villains making their payday while Pendel who created his own web of self deceit is faced with the task of having to win back his credibility in the eyes of his own wife.

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