The Secret Agent Review by B Movie Ben (3 Stars)

The Secret Agent Review by B Movie Ben (3 Stars) | MatchFlick

Steal of the Day

Startling Proofs DVD
~~$7.98~~
$4.99
The Steal of the Day is offered by MatchFlick's DVD partner, FamilyVideo.com.

[help]

[more]

MatchFlick Member Reviews


	1 review review this movie read all reviews

Movie Details

All Movie Info

Starring:
Bob Hoskins, Patricia Arquette, Gerard Depardieu, Jim Broadbent, Robin Williams, Christian Bale, Eddie Izzard, Ralph Nossek, Elizabeth Spriggs, Peter Vaughan, Julian Wadham, Roger Hammond, Neville Phillips

Directed By:
Christopher Hampton

Written By:
Christopher Hampton, Joseph Conrad

The Secret Agent (1996)

email this review to a friend

Movie Review by B Movie Ben

December 1st, 2007

I myself have no future. But I am a force.

Anyone looking for some exciting tale along the lines of the Bourne trilogy in a film named The Secret Agent is going to be disappointed.

What you have here is a dark and deep intellectual exercise in the actions of spies, anarchists, agent provocateurs, and the like in 19th Century England.

While Bob Hoskins (Unleashed, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) leads the cast, it is truly an ensemble film.

Hoskins is a man playing all sides. He is an anarchist, but in the employ of the Russians, and under the thumb of a local police inspector (Jim Broadbent). His wife (Patricia Arquette) only married him to gain protection for disabled brother (Christian Bale). When the Russian boss (Eddie Izzard) puts the pressure on, he has to act and he manages to kill the brother. Everything falls apart at that point, and it is where the film really gets interesting. So, if you bail before that, you miss it all.

One of the most interesting things in the film was his actions after his wife found out that her brother was killed. She is leaving, and he orders her to stay. He is stuffing his face while "consoling" her and sits on the couch. He then tells her, "I know what you need. Come over here." I hope this is not a reflection of the attitude of men towards women in this period, but I am afraid that it probably is. Anyway, it was what she needed, but not in the way he imagined.

Things do not end well in this film. There is a good performance by G�rard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Man in the Iron Mask) towards the end, and a great performance by Robin Williams throughout.

They must really like Conrad's story, as it has been done on TV a couple of times before this film. It is worth your time.

email this review to a friend

Comment on this Review:

Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to reviews.

Join or Login.

Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS