Based on a John le Carr((eacute)) novel, The Constant Gardener is a thriller with a style of its own. It revolves around Justin Quayle (Fiennes), a British diplomat who is caught up in a deadly game of corruption with a big pharmaceutical company, after he starts to investigate the death of his wife, activist Tessa (Weisz), in remote Africa.

This is a film that becomes more than the sum of its parts, because of the talented individuals involved. Fiennes has been off the radar for a while now (combining freaky Cronenberg films with J-Lo rom-coms - really, Ralph, what were you thinking?), but this is his best performance since The English Patient. Weisz has never impressed me in the past, but here she shows that she can actually act. And there is solid support from the ever-reliable Pete Postlethwaite (in a small role), and Danny Huston.

But the key to it all is director Fernando Meirelles. His first film, City Of God, was flawed, but it did herald a remarkable talent. Gardener shows that it was no fluke, and this is one director worth following over the next few years. Start here with The Constant Gardener.