I saw The Secret Agent in Orlando this past Friday, and in contrast to my recent review of Sinners, the details of this film are fresh in my mind. I thought for sure that I'd seen the lead actor in something else, but I couldn't place him at the time of watching the movie. A quick search just now of IMDb reminds me that I saw Wagner Moura in Alex Garland's Civil War from back in late 2024. I'm glad that I didn't associate Moura with that movie, since I likely would have held it against him. Instead, I was able to watch The Secret Agent with impartiality, which was heightened by the fact that The Secret Agent is a foreign-language film, made in Brazil, by a director that prior to this film was unknown to me. All that to say that going into a movie-watching experience fresh, without any preconceptions or expectations, is a wonderful thing... if you end up liking the film. In this case I was not disappointed. The Secret Agent does exactly what it sets out to do, tell an interesting story about a unique individual, where the events that unfold happen in a way that is compelling, and propels the story. The writer/director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, has a very distinct vision, and while the action was reminiscent of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and felt like an homage (if you pay homage to someone whose style itself is an homage, who are you actually paying homage to?), but that's OK, because it hit all the right notes*. The film was imperfect, as it was slow at points, had a weak ending, and unnecessarily had a thread involving college students doing research on the main character, but overall, this was an entertaining and well-made film.
*There was a surreal reenactment in the 3rd act, which felt out of place, but it's better to try something new than recycle old material.
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