A Most Wanted Man
Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a political refugee from Chechnya who has been tortured by Russian security forces, enters Hamburg, Germany, illegally.
Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leads an unconstitutional, covert government team that seeks to recruit local informants with ties to Islamic terrorist organizations. The disheveled Günther's polar opposite is his efficient right-hand associate, Irna Frey (Nina Hoss). The team learns of Karpov's presence and his suspected links to Chechen terrorists.
Bachmann's team is also tracking the activities of a local, respected, Muslim philanthropist, Dr. Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi), who the team suspects is funneling a small portion of his legitimate funds to Al Qaeda, though the team is unable to prove this. High ranking German security official Mohr (Rainer Bock) and American diplomatic attaché Sullivan (Robin Wright) both learn of these investigations and take interest.
Bachmann is interested in watching suspects and "turning" informants higher and higher up the chain, while protecting the naive who are caught up in the nefarious affairs of others. Mohr and Sullivan appear single-minded, and interested in merely capturing suspects, regardless of guilt or future usefulness.
Günther has been disgraced in the past for an apparently serious failure, and shows signs of self-neglect, but is a sophisticated operative who understands Islamic terrorism, and distrusts politicians and the Americans.
Karpov contacts an immigration lawyer, Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams), who helps put him in contact with Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe), a wealthy banker whose father had long ago laundered money for Karpov's murderous father, of the Russian mafia. Karpov is the rightful heir to a multimillion-dollar account long held by this bank, but Karpov identifies with his maternal Chechen, Muslim heritage and decides he no longer wants his father's dirty money.
Bachmann's team is able to turn Brue and Richter to their cause, using threats and seduction. Richter convinces Karpov to donate the funds to Abdullah's organization, in the hope that Abdullah will reroute some of the funds to a shipping company acting as a front for al-Qaeda.
Bachmann plans to use this proof of guilt to turn Abdullah as well, in order to ensnare those higher up in the terrorist organization. The plan is approved by the interior minister, along with the American who has become an apparent ally of Bachmann. Bachmann secures asylum in Germany for the innocent Karpov.
Abdullah does indeed route funds to the shipping company, but as Bachmann is about to try to make Abdullah into an informant, without disrupting his life or family, Bachmann is ambushed by forces reporting to Mohr and Sullivan, who whisk away Abdullah and Karpov.
Bachmann screams in frustrated, powerless anger, as Frey, Richter, and Brue look on in shock, and Bachmann drives off, defeated.
mystery