Critic’s Pick:  ‘Most Wanted Man’ is most recommended

In these the dog days of summer, adult moviegoers are more desperate than usual for something worth their time. Which is why it is so good to have “A Most Wanted Man” to recommend. A taut, involving thriller, based on the novel by John le Carré, it’s a fitting final film for star Philip Seymour Hoffman, not only because it is so expertly done but also because his role as a German spymaster combating terrorism was so challenging.

Joined by top supporting actors including Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and German stars Nina Hoss and Daniel Bruhl, Hoffman earned the highest praise from author Le Carré: “He did what only the greatest actors can do. He made his voice the only authentic one, the lonely one, the odd one out, the one you depended on amid all the others.”