Pierce Brosnan: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Andrew Osnard - The Tailor Of Panama (2001)

John Le Carré is perhaps the best-known and most successful 'anti-Bond' spy writer, with his tales of bureaucratic frustration and subtle double-dealings being a welcome contrast to Ian Fleming's fast cars and one-liners. Many adaptations of his stories have become screen hits, like The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, The Constant Gardener and both versions of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The Tailor of Panama has always been somewhat overlooked in this regard - and in light of Brosnan's performance, that's rather a shame.

The Tailor of Panama stars Brosnan as MI6 operative Andrew Osnard, who is reassigned to Panama after having an affair with the Spanish foreign minister's wife. Once there he befriends Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), a tailor to many of the most important Panamian officials. Keen to rebuild his reputation, Osnard asks Pendel to feed him information from his clients, which he in turn passes on to his superiors. Suffice to say, things quickly get out of hand... Directed by John Boorman of Deliverance fame, The Tailor of Panama is a lively romp which is more openly satirical than many Le Carré adaptations. Brosnan is clearly enjoying himself, being let off the leash a little and developing great chemistry with both Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis. His performance has all the sophistication of Bond but is more reckless and morally compromised, which makes for a very entertaining thriller.