Based on the novel by critically acclaimed John le Carré, the man who brought us Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, A Most Wanted Man is an intelligently textured spy thriller that boasts an immensely talented cast including the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and Daniel Brühl.

The catalyst for the film is the arrival of a half-Chechen, half Russian immigrant who turns up in present day Hamburg’s Islamic community. Brutally tortured and close to death, he lays claim to his father’s ill-gotten fortune and is desperate for help in its recovery. What ensues is a web of intrigue involving German and US security agencies and a subtle game of cat and mouse in the race to piece together the evidence and establish the man’s true identity.

Attempted accents, brooding characters and political tensions aside, the film is essentially an exploration of director Anton Corbijn’s attention to detail painted with the sombre greys and blues of Hamburg and Berlin where the complexities of counter-terrorist work in the post-9/11 era take centre stage.

With the clocks ticking and the stakes rising – is this most wanted man an oppressed victim or an extremist intent on destruction?