A Most Wanted Man

In one of his final performances, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Gunter Bachmann, a calculating German intelligence operative who’s stalking a potential Islamic terror suspect in Hamburg, Germany. The late actor immersed himself in his lonely, obsessive character from John le Carré’s 2008 novel. He mentored costars such as Daniel Brühl (Rush), who plays one of his underlings, while steering clear of castmates who portrayed rivals or threats. “He went through a very difficult period when we were making it, and you can see that [on screen],” says director Anton Corbijn (The American). “You really feel how he struggles. At a certain point, Phil and Gunter become one during the making of it.”