By Kit-Kat:

There are a lot of people out there that love political thriller types of movies. I however, am not one of them. Don't get me wrong, if its pace is decent and the drama good, I will tolerate them and on some very rare occasions even like them. When they are dragged out, or so full of subterfuge your head spins, that is when I start thinking about other things (like if I have enough kitty litter to get me through the week). With this movie I not only took stock of my cat supplies but figured out my work wardrobe.

In a remote area of Northern Kenya, the region's most dedicated activist, the brilliant and passionate Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz), has been found brutally murdered. Tessa's traveling companion, a local doctor, appears to have fled the scene and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Sandy Woodrow (Danny Huston), Sir Bernard Pellegrin (Bill Nighy) and the other members of the British High Commission assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to their discretion. They could not be more wrong, this career diplomat's equilibrium has been exploded by the loss of the woman he was deeply devoted to. They were opposites whose attraction sustained a marriage, the memories of which now spur Justin to take decisive action for the first time in his life and diplomatic career. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his wife's infidelities, Justin surprises himself by plunging headlong into a dangerous odyssey. Determined to clear his wife's name and "finish what she started," Justin embarks on a crash course to learn about the pharmaceutical industry, whose crimes Tessa was on the verge of uncovering, and journeys across two continents in search of the trust. His eyes are soon opened to a vast conspiracy at once deadly and commonplace, one that has claimed innocent lives - and is about to put his own at risk.

Clever- yes, thriller- I suppose, slow paced- definitely. The story is good and I did like the premise, I found it quite interesting and as it unfolded it does give one thought to the third world countries out there but, it just took too long to unfold and was too slow paced for me to truly enjoy it. As I mentioned, this is just not a winning genre for me (though I have no doubt it will be greatly appreciated by others that seek the elusive political thriller). And unless you can devote your undivided attention (did I mention the kitty litter issue) to it, you'll be a bit lost with the constant flash backs and double story line. Though the movie didn't exactly appeal to me, I did think the characters were well played. Rachel Weisz did a phenomenal job as Tessa and she draws you into her character with her intrigue and inner strength. Ralph Fiennes was spectacular at morphing his boorish character into someone that you can genuinely feel for in the film.

The DVD extras were more than I expected and of course there are my favorite deleted and extended scenes. For once I can see why they were cut, though the deleted scenes did give you more in terms of understanding the characters. Embracing Africa- Filming in Kenya is a featurette that I liked a lot. It takes you into what filming in Kenya was like and gives you commentaries from the cast and crew. John Le Carre - From Page to the Screen gives you details on just how the movie was adapted from the book and it was neat to hear what the writer thought of the film and the experience of having it adapted. Anatomy of a Global Thriller- Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener was the main making of featurette and does a good job of giving you an in depth look at the filming, casting and more. Overall the features are a good fit to explore the movie and learn more regarding the book adaptation.

For myself I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you are the type that can get into the political intrigue that it offers. If that genre tickles your fancy then definitely give this a look, you won't be disappointed. The DVD is certainly worth a watch and the extras fit nicely with the movie. Of course if you're like me and need something more um...exciting to keep your brain from wandering to the cat supplies, I wouldn't bother (unless you want some background noise).