The Constant Gardener

R

Released Aug 31, 2005

2 hr. 8 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

83%

192 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Assigned to a new post, reserved British diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) relocates to Kenya with his lovely young wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an activist for social justice. When Tessa is found murdered out in the wilderness, circumstances point to her friend, Dr. Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), but it is soon clear that he's not the killer. Grief-stricken and angry, Justin sets out to uncover the truth behind Tessa's murder -- and in the process, he unearths some disturbing revelations.

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Critics Consensus

The Constant Gardener is a smart, gripping, and suspenseful thriller with rich performances from the leads.

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Tibor F

Half hour into the film, nothing happens. Extremely boring. Skipped without hesitation.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/20/24

Full Review

Anthony W

This is a super, harrowing bit of cinema.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/24

Full Review

Alec C

Love can push us to take extremes in order to bring her peace, especially if it means going against the system! A diplomat suspects that his wife's suspicious death is tied to a drug-manufacturing company in Kenya and begins a risky investigation into her demise. Shot with emotional feeling and a sobering sense of doom, we're shown that if you must confront corruption, you should do it for the people you love!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/24

Full Review

David W

The Constant Gardener features excellent performances but suffers from a screenplay that seems to be always building up to a climax that never quite comes. I would only watch this again if there were nothing better to choose from.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

Full Review

Jona I

Enthralling mystery, even mystery of the heart. Weisz and Fiennes are charming together

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

Full Review

Shaun E

The Constant Gardener is a very deep, dark and thought provoking film about abuse of African peoples in the name of money. On top of that, it is a very powerful love story that transcends anything that could remotely be described as romance. Indeed, such a label would cheapen it. The film starts oddly enough. The cinematography appears to be more art than story and it feels somewhat jarring. However, once the story gets going, the cinematic depictions of African life feel real. The chronological to-ing and fro-ing in the early part of the story does not appear to add any benefit to the telling of the story and I cannot help but wonder if the story would have had an even greater emotional impact if the love story had chance to develop before Tessa's death. Where the power of the love story comes into real force is the fact that the love story truly takes on a power of its own as it develops after her death. The story does suffer from convenient plot devices that move it forward and sometimes these feel a bit contrived. However, the story being told is so strong that I can only knock half a star off for this. All in all, a very good film. That it was inspired by a true story makes it all the more powerful. How much of this sort of abuse continues to be perpetrated in the name of money? Highly recommended, but not light, storytelling.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/23

Full Review

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Fernando Meirelles

Director

Ralph Fiennes

Justin Quayle

Rachel Weisz

Tessa

Danny Huston

Sandy

Bill Nighy

Sir Bernard Pellegrin

Pete Postlethwaite

Marcus Lorbeer

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Fernando Meirelles, codirector of City of God, stresses old-fashioned storytelling and takes full advantage of his cast, including Danny Huston.

Nov 27, 2007

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

While le Carre's narrative returns an unequivocal guilty verdict on the drug companies, the jury on Meirelles's storytelling abilities remains hung.

Jan 20, 2007

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Serious, topical filmmaking of a very high order.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Graeme Tuckett

Stuff.co.nz

The Constant Gardener finds and maintains a lovely balance between a post-cold war thriller and a poignant, elegiac story of love and mourning. It is a hell of a film, very recommended if you're in the mood for some real quality viewing.

May 23, 2022

Full Review

Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

The Constant Gardener disturbs, lingers in the mind, for its images of Africa, images of corporate thuggery, images of well-meaning people drowning in their own self-deception.

Mar 5, 2021

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Poised, intelligent thriller which also points an accusing finger at drug companies dumping obsolete product on third-world countries.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 28, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Assigned to a new post, reserved British diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) relocates to Kenya with his lovely young wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an activist for social justice. When Tessa is found murdered out in the wilderness, circumstances point to her friend, Dr. Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), but it is soon clear that he's not the killer. Grief-stricken and angry, Justin sets out to uncover the truth behind Tessa's murder -- and in the process, he unearths some disturbing revelations.

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Executive Producer: Gail Egan, Donald Ranvaud
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Caine, John le Carré
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Focus Features
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexual Content|Some Violent Images)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 31, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $33.6M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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