In 1989, a Canadian journalist investigates the circumstances surrounding the suspicious arrest of a heroin addict imprisoned in a Thai jail.
I love a great story involving investigative journalism, drugs, and government officials caught with their pants down. I was surprised I’ve never heard of this Canadian scandal that was an international incident in the late 1980s. Featuring a scrappy cast of actors and some gorgeous locations, I was definitely excited to watch this film.
“Most Wanted” begins in the thick woods of British Columbia, Daniel Leger (Antoine Olivier Pilón) is finishing his shift as a logger and rides his motorcycle to a local gas station. Inside the station, he phones his mother and the two have an argument causing Daniel to ride off without paying for his petrol and cigarettes. Cut to Toronto, 1989, Victor Malarek (Josh Hartnett) is an investigative journalist conducting a salacious interview with a corrupt politician. Before he can finish grilling his perplexed subject, his beeper goes off and Victor races to the hospital to witness the birth of his child. The race becomes a car chase since the local mob is tailing him in an attempt to silence his reporting. He makes it in time and learns soon after that he’ll be a freelancer or “stringer” for his newspaper, which is a step down from a salaried reporter. Victor knows he’ll have to find a big story to regain his tenure. He comes across a report on the heroin pipeline hailing from Thailand to Canada. After some hilarious banter with his editor Arthur, he’s told “if your story doesn’t make the front page, you’re out of here.”
Daniel arrives in Vancouver and meets his old friend partying on a little but luxurious yacht with a few sex workers and a heavily intoxicated big man Glen (Jim Gaffigan). While Phil Collins’ timeless “In the Air Tonight” blasts in the background, Glen displays some bi-polar behavior questioning Daniel and is way too comfortable wielding his handgun. I was impressed with Gaffigan’s performance, I definitely expected an underwhelming experience but he really does a fantastic job of being sinisterly subdued and switching into a maniac. Glen and Daniel become partners, running boat tours for tourists, and dealing heroin. Unbeknownst to Daniel, Glen is making some shady deals with government officials. The lead official is played by the exceptional character actor Stephen McHattie who always reminds me of a Canadian Lance Henriksen. They concoct a plan to get Daniel caught with ten kilos of heroin and blame him as the sole trafficker of international narcotics.
The screenplay jumps back and forth between Daniel getting involved in the conspiracy and Victor’s investigation in Thailand. The cinematography is stylish but not too artificial or distracting. The score is synth-driven with flourishing piano keys interspersed along with some period-appropriate musical tracks by New Order and others. The subject matter of international drug trade overseen by government agents and journalistic integrity is pure gold. As successful as these elements are on their own, the film doesn’t let these themes fully coagulate into a splendid film. I felt there was way too much time spent on Daniel’s period in Thailand. Since it’s clear he’s arrested, the lead up to his imprisonment is a bit sluggish. I think the pacing would’ve benefited from twenty minutes cut from the screenplay. I’ve never seen the lead Pilón before but he did a solid job for carrying a lot of scenes. I’ve noticed Josh Hartnett has been taking on a variety of projects and not settling for heartthrob romantic leads. I think he’s actually talented and luckily he’s been shedding more of that boyish look which will open more strong leading roles. That being said, I plan to read more about this scandal and the mysterious players that ended up getting away with it.
Available on Blu-ray™ and Digital September 22nd
