The tailor of Panama

After a long time had a satisfaction of watching a good movie. This time Kuthami's recommendation has lived upto its expectation.

When you stop expecting the unexpected, movie of this sort hits you on the sweet spot. It is a spy thriller. Though, a very less of thriller in it. A secret service agent of MI is banished to Panama, which is considered as a punishment posting. He identifies a gullible tailor in Panama city, who has made a name for himself in the high brow society of Panama. The tailor has history that he has hidden even from his own family. He was a convict and had spent time in jail. He learnt stitching there. After serving the prison sentence his "uncle" sends him to Panama as a partner in tailoring business that poses as a branch of reputed tailor from England. This tailor has connections, mostly through his craft, with high and mighty of the society in Panama. The secret service agent threatens to reveal his past and asks him to get secret information about Panama canal.

Panama canal, built and operated by Americans for 100 years, had to be handed to Panama government. Americans were reluctant. There was always the fear in their heart that this canal will be used against their interests. The tailor was married to a daughter of an American engineer who was working with the commissioner of the canal. The secret service agents' agenda was very clear. Trap the tailor and get vital information.

It was quite clear to him that there is nothing happening to the canal. But he forces the tailor to get information, which mostly he(tailor) cooks up. You can very easily make out that the cooked up information is phony and useless, you keep wondering why the agent believes it. This is where this story differs from the normal ones. Though it is amply clear of the phony story, the secret service agent invents many entities such as "silent opposition", Micky, the leader etc. In a typical secret service means capsules it and sells the concept to the Americans, who were waiting for some reason or other to invade the canal. He raises the picture of Mickey,the resistance leader and negotiates $ 20 million and surprisingly even gets it for the purchase of arms. Some times you wonder how frail these power centers are and how powerful fear factor is and how smart some people are and how stupid some are. The agent decamps with the money bribing his way through the ambassador. Tailor goes back to his own life. You however, are a bit changed person. When you read newspaper you start thinking about veracity of the news stories and chuckle. Not a bad change for a change!

Did not delete the movie and must watch once agan to fully understand.