THE SECRET AGENT breaks all traditional story structure to tell an original, scattered narrative with a captivating leading man performance from Wagner Moura. While watching it, I realized that nothing really happens until about the ninety-minute mark to move the plot forward. Yet, all the non-sequitur turns ahead of that are entertaining in and of themselves to make it watchable.
Let’s be real for a few about why this film is garnering critical accolades.
- Wagner Moura – This is a movie star performance. He’s calculatedly empathetic, mysterious, and so good as the protagonist (I’m purposely not saying his name, so that I don’t spoil it). Even when nothing’s happening in this film, it’s arguably more enjoyable with him in it.
- The Setting – Brazil, 1977. Audiences can almost feel the sweat pouring off the characters. It’s a lived-in world that you at once want to be a part of, but also want to avoid.
- The Narrative structure – Is this even a narrative? It’s so differently spliced together while paying homage to cinema that it stands a ‘leg’ above the competition. It’s strange and compelling.
Final Thought: The overhype train is real on THE SECRET AGENT. However, if you lower your expectations, you just might have a good, nearly three-hour experience.
It’s playing in limited theaters now.
