The movie starts in a Garcia Marquez dreamy South America, or, for people versed in Italiana, like in a Fruttero and Lucentini Turin-based political thriller where esoteric philosophical notions mix with reality, but things soon hot up and, hey presto, we find ourselves in Graham Greene's 'Honorary Consul' territory. Where 'Ezechia' philosopher and revolutionary leader bear more than a little resemblance to Peru Sendero Luminoso's Abimael Guzman. It is John Malkovich's second time in the Director chair, and he deserves great credit for his decision to almost single-handedly bring Nicholas Shakespeare's novel to the silver screen. People may argue that this movie is stylistically and formally floored, I personally don't care, I loved this movie, it is absorbing with a complex, unconventional plot which makes you think. And by the end we all, like Xavier Bardem's Captain Rejas, will end up falling for vulnerable femme fatale Yolanda, beautifully played by Laura Morante. Purists may object to an English language movie set in South America and where the actors are mostly Spanish, but nowadays this seems to have became, alas, fairly common! On the whole, highly recommended!