The Secret Agent (2025)
When the only secret agent is the plot.
Presentation:
Portuguese cinema isn’t particularly well known with pretty much only City of God reaching critical acclaim. So when a Brazilian film breaks through to Hollywood, it’s worth paying attention to. There are great strides made in this film. The first 30 minutes use a refreshingly foreign cinematic language, distinct from what we are accustomed to from Hollywood in the best way. The opening character introductions are all intriguing with great anamorphic texture and color. However, the yellow and cyan visuals can feel somewhat heavy handed with certain hues visibly breaking. But that shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the nostalgic 70s. At some points, it takes grindhouse visuals take cues from Tarantino with anamorphic zooms. But there’s not nearly as much cinematic magic due to mundane dialogue and charmless nudity.
Conclusion:
This is a suspense mystery that I would consider a thriller if it weren’t so slow. In fact, it has nothing to do with espionage or secret agents. For the first 30 minutes it’s pretty riveting, but this film is nearly 3 hours and we have to follow unexplained plot lines for 2 of those before we even get a hint of what it’s about. This could have been bearable if there was anything entertaining to latch onto, or perhaps a lead we actually care about. Instead, we get a pointless political/historical documentary. If you care about the Brazilian culture or authoritarian regimes, that may be enough to get you over the hump of a meandering mood piece disguised as a political thriller.
Recommendations
When the only secret agent is the plot.