Best known as the photographer behind iconic images such as the cover of U2’s Joshua Tree, Anton Corbijn moved to feature film direction with 2007’s Control. Based on a 2008 John le Carré novel, 2014’s A Most Wanted Man delivered his third effort behind the camera.

Because 9/11 plotters operated out of that city, Hamburg becomes a hotspot for anti-terrorism measures. Günther Bachmann (Phillip Seynour Hoffman) functions as the leader of covert operation that attempts locals who might have connections to Islam terrorist organizations.

When Chechen immigrant Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) arrives in Hamburg, authorities take an intense interest in him. While others pressure Bachmann to take Karpov into custody, he prefers to bide his time and see if Karpov can act as a valuable source. If Bachmann proves wrong, disastrous repercussions could result.

As implied at the start, my primary association with Corbijn comes from his photography as well as his many music videos. I did see 2010’s The American, another movie in the thriller vein.

Sort of. Like I note in the above-linked review, American’s trailers promised a tight suspense film, but instead, the end result delivered more of a subdued character piece.

If anyone expects Corbijn to alter that MO for Wanted, then I bring bad news. While a tighter narrative than he provided for that earlier film, Corbijn nonetheless prefers a subdued approach to the material here.

To some degree, I appreciate this. We get too many thrillers that emphasize action over intelligence, so I like that Corbijn wants to bring a more subtle vibe to the tale.

Unfortunately, Corbijn tends to favor this tone a little too heavily. Despite the inherent intrigue and drama of the plot, Wanted fails to create a lot of tension.

After all, Wanted explores literal life or death topics. If Bachmann screws up, fatalities seem likely to result.

Corbijn fails to depict the literal ticking clock well, however. He gives Wanted such a slow pace that nothing here ever feels especially urgent, even though the characters tell us of this tight timeline.

Wanted comes with a fine cast, as in addition to Hoffman, we find Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and others. They give the project a layer of credibility.

And as become the case with The American, nothing about Wanted ever threatens to make it a bad movie. The basic tale comes with enough power to keep us engaged, and as noted, I do like Corbijn’s approach to some degree.

However, I wish Corbijn would indulge his “Hollywood Side” more than he does here and give us something with a bit more passion. Despite some positives, Wanted feels too cool to deliver the goods.

A Most Wanted Man appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a positive presentation.

Sharpness looked solid. A few shots were slightly soft, but not to a substantial degree, so most of the episodes seemed accurate and concise.

No jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws were a non-factor, as the movie stayed clean.

In terms of palette, Wanted favored a mix of blue/teal as well as yellow/orange. Within their parameters, the colors appeared solid.

Blacks seemed deep and tight, while shadows were smooth and well-delineated. In the end, the transfer proved to be appealing.

As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Wanted, it became a reasonably involving mix. With a smattering of semi-action scenes, we got some lot of good material from all sides.

Various elements blended around the spectrum and added a nice sense of activity to the film. Stereo music also worked well, and this turned into a moderately vivid soundscape.

Audio quality seemed fine. Speech was crisp and distinctive, with no edginess or other concerns.

Music was full and rich, while effects came across as lively and accurate. The track boasted good low-end when appropriate. All of this was enough for a “B”.

Two featurettes appear, and The Making of A Most Wanted Man runs 16 minutes, 19 seconds. It includes notes from director Anton Corbijn and actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nina Hoss, Rachel McAdams, and Willem Dafoe.

“Making” examines the source novel and its adaptation, story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, and Corbijn’s work on the production. We get a mix of moderate insights and happy talk.

Spymaster goes for nine minutes, 32 seconds. It includes remarks from novelist John le Carré and Fluchtpunkt’s Anne Harms.

The author discusses the story and characters as well as research and the use of Hamburg. We get a decent set of notes related to the topics.

The movie opens with ads for America: Imagine the World Without Her, Life of Crime, Blood Ties, Joe and Reclaim. No trailer for Wanted appears here.

I feel I should appreciate the understated nature of A Most Wanted Man, and I do – to a degree. However, the movie seems too low-key for its own good so it loses the tension and impact it needs. The Blu-ray comes with positive picture and audio as well as two featurettes. This turns into a semi-engaging but less than enthralling spy tale.