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The Constant Gardener should be studied by film students. If, in a classroom, one would break down the elements of the Fernando Meirelles' film, there is nothing really remarkable going on plot-wise beyond the standard and clichéd Hero v. Rich Corporation thriller. How many times have we seen the noble company man or woman realize that their bosses were up to no good and attempt to expose the injustice? The now predictable, automatic reaction by the usually rational and careful, powerful, omnipotent corporation is to kill anyone who is a potential threat and then cover up their crimes without conscience - only to be toppled in the final rousing scene. In that sense Gardener is no different from countless movies starring the likes of Ben Affleck and Keanu Reeves.

So now the question to the class becomes: What makes The Constant Gardener feel so excellent despite the warmed over story?

The answer lies in both the tangibles (actors, location) and the intangibles (acting, atmosphere). In the leads we are given Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. The two Brits perfectly compliment the other's style in that Fiennes does his introspective, thoughtful and reserved gentleman the edge, and Rachel, who excels in these types of roles (The Shape of Things) plays it both cherubic sweet and devilishly sour. While our hero is Fiennes Justin Quayle, a diplomat in pursuit of the conspirators who murdered his wife, the film really belongs to Rachel, who is seen entirely in post-mortem flashbacks as if an angel has graced the screen. Weisz has put in her time with accommodating performances in the past with the Mummy series and dumb genre pictures (including Hero v. Corp bomb Chain Reaction starring Keanu Reeves). She needs to be used wisely by her studios and directors. Her talent and appeal should not be confused with that of Cameron and Julia. She is a leading lady, yes, but not in the conventional sense. She needs a dark side, a hidden, often sinister agenda to really reach her potential.

Beyond the superb and elegant performances depicting a complex and real relationship between a husband and wife, Gardener stands out because its backdrop is Africa.

There is something so stirring and beautiful, while at the same time pitiful about that continent, that it has captured the imagination of Western artists like no other landscape. From Conrad's Heart of Darkness to even something as winsome as Kevin Bacon's The Air Up There, Africa is so rich culturally and magnificent visually, that a story simply taking place there is already ahead of the game.

Here, we are transported to Kenya and faced with an epidemic and dying, scared families and the black faces of children studying the faces of their alleged saviors with white skin. We are shown an ugly side of an already ugly situation, where pharmaceutical companies view African lives as expendable and put the dollar first. On that front, Gardener succeeds as a devastating social commentary. John le Carre's novel has written a novel (adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Caine) that teaches as much about poverty and corporate corruption as it does about how to revitalize a tired formula.

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