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Critics Reviews: 8 out of 10
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Chicago Sun-Times
"The Constant Gardener" begins with a strong, angry story, and peoples it with actors who let it happen to them, instead of rushing ahead to check off the surprises. It seems solidly grounded in its Kenyan locations; like "City of God," it feels organically rooted. Like many Le Carre stories, it begins with grief and proceeds with sadness toward horror.
Roger Ebert
Reelviews
This is not a thriller designed for the crowd that prefers shoot-outs, chases, and other action-packed incidents. The Constant Gardener is talky and intelligent, and never takes the cheap way out. It's also something of a downer, both it terms of how the main characters are handled and in its cynical attitude toward the pharmaceutical industry. There's no mistaking The Constant Gardener for anything other than a "message movie."
James Berardinelli
The Boston Globe
Wilted bouquets all around: "The Constant Gardener" is a predictable conspiracy thriller that somehow ends up diminishing the real urgency of the West's humanitarian disconnect from Africa. If it sends audiences home to log on to the Amnesty International website, terrific -- but that still doesn't make it a very good movie.
Ty Burr
USA Today
Don't be put off by the title: The Constant Gardener is a masterwork of suspense, romance and political intrigue. It is a taut and gripping thriller that dazzles the eyes and engages the brain in a way that few recent films have come close to approaching.
Claudia Puig
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