Phillip Seymour Hoffman in "A Most Wanted Man"

The passing of the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman shocked us all just a few months ago. In his long career, Hoffman had given amazing performances in every film he was in, even when he was merely standing in the background. From Boogie Nights, to Almost Famous, to his Oscar winning work in Capote, it was clear that he was one of the greatest living actors: male or female.

Though he will be seen (briefly) in the last Hunger Games installment "Mockingjay"(Parts 1 and 2), his final lead performance will be in Anton Corbijn's "A Most Wanted Man" as a German intelligence agent living in the post-9/11 world, who is plagued by paranoia.
The source material comes from the same author of novels such as "Tinker Tailor Soildier Spy" and "The Constant Gardener" both of which were adapted into films and received Oscar nominations for their actors.



It's unknown whether or not Hoffman's performance will stand tall amongst the Best Actor contenders that are sure to pop up by the end of the year. His performance received the usual raves out of the film's Sundance Film Festival premiere, but nothing that illicited attention. Posthumous nominations are hard to achieve (ala James Gandolfini in last year's Enough Said). However, Hoffman is one of the most celebrated (1 Oscar win, 4 overall nominations) and beloved actors, so perhaps that could work to the film's advantage?

The film is to premiere in the Oscar unfriendly month of July. But whether or not distributor Roadside Attractions can build a campaign, it will definitely be a good note to end on for Hoffman's career, which was truly legendary.

The film also stars Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe and Robin Wight.