Politics dug deep

In "The Constant Gardener" Ralph Fiennes ("The English Patient," "Spider") plays Justin Quayle, a British High Commission member living in Kenya. After Quayle's civil rights activist wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz), is brutally murdered, he begins a search to discover what happened to her. As Quayle investigates, he learns his wife was involved in uncovering the workings of a corrupt pharmaceutical company who might be testing deadly products on poor, HIV-positive Africans. Quayle decides to continue his wife's work despite rumors of her unfaithfulness and other risky reports. But it's not long until he becomes the hunted and is warned to stop his search, or he will meet the same fate as his wife.\nWhile "Gardener" commits many of the crimes of similar lackluster thrillers such as "The Bourne Identity" and "Chain Reaction" (Quayle is told by those with information that they should not be talking, sketchy sources offer help, and fast car chases occur) it manages to rise above these clichés because of its examination of African social problems and Western politics.\nFilmed in a similar style of director Fernando Meirelles' Academy Award-nominated "City of God," the film looks great because of the frequent use of rough cuts, shaky camera movements, wide shots of the vast African landscape, gritty cinematography and intense score; all of which help make the film work as a thriller by creating a continuing sense of anxiety. At times, the film can be unsettling and hard to watch because of its representation of African life, however, seeing certain aspects of the Kenyan culture is interesting.\nThe DVD doesn't offer much when it comes to its few decent, but similar special features. There are a few deleted scenes that were understandably cut. The making of the feature plays like a long trailer, featuring an annoying narration and is composed of mostly clips from the film. In another feature, John le Carré, author of the novel which the film is based on, discusses where his inspiration for the story came from. While "The Constant Gardener" is not based on a true story, after speaking with large pharmaceutical firms, le Carré believes that what happens in the film could easily occur in real life. \nIn another feature about shooting on location in Kenya, the crew discusses its ecstasy of being able to create an authentic film by not having to shoot in South Africa, where most African-set movies are filmed. Unfortunately, we are told this about 50 times. However, the African backdrops and scarce, poverty-ridden communities are still truly fascinating.\nNominated for Golden Globes in the best director, supporting actress, and motion picture drama categories, "The Constant Gardener" is a good film, but stole a nominee spot from another, more deserving, political thriller, "Munich"