Stuff
A film that deserves a greater release than festival screenings and a smattering of follow-up sessions, if you're a fan of well-made, investigative thrillers, then you should catch this while, when and where you can.
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Official Secrets
Keira Knightley is whistle-blower Katharine Gun in this political thriller co-starring Ralph Fiennes and from the director of Tsotsi.
"Based on the book The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War, Official Secrets tells the true story of British secret-service officer Katharine Gun, who during the immediate run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq leaked a top-secret National Security Agency memo. The memo — which exposed an illegal U.S.-U.K. spying operation against members of the United Nations Security Council — proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war." (Sundance Film Festival)
2019Rating: MA15+, Strong coarse language112 minsUK, USA
ThrillerTrue Story & Biography
- Director:
- Gavin Hood ('Eye in the Sky', 'Tsotsi', 'A Reasonable Man')
- Writer:
- Gregory BernsteinSara BernsteinGavin Hood
- Cast:
- Keira KnightleyMatthew GoodeMatt SmithRalph FiennesIndira VarmaRhys IfansMyAnna BuringTamsin Greig
Official Secrets / Reviews
FilmInk
Confusing vitriol with passion, Official Secrets’ ambitions become diluted by unapologetically brash filmmaking.
Full reviewSydney Morning Herald
Timely does not begin to describe this film: when governments lie to us about the causes of war, when the press lies down with the dogs of war, when intelligence agencies no longer dare to speak truth to power, we need stories that stand up for the truth, even when it's hard to find. The whistleblower may just be the new superhero of our culture, without need for cape or gun.
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Empire Magazine
Official Secrets is a timely, ambitious if broad take on a complex subject, but remains engaging and entertaining. anchored by Keira Knightley on great form.
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Time Out
While it'll do nothing to restore trust in the august bodies that rule the land, it's a pacy, palm-clammying watch.
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Variety
A dry and honourable retelling of events that exists mostly to remind us who she was, and why any potential whistleblowers out there should honour her example.
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The Guardian
The film relies on its lead star and Knightley is more than equipped for the task of carrying it on her shoulders.
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Screen Daily
This sturdy, entertaining political thriller pushes all the right buttons and triggers all the right outraged reactions.
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Hollywood Reporter
A straightforward, solidly old-fashioned slice of real-life espionage, journalistic and legal intrigue that gets the job done in engrossing, clear-eyed fashion even if it lacks much in the way of stylistic verve.
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Collider
Director Gavin Hood tells an unremarkable story about Katherine Gun's remarkable bravery.
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