THE SECRET AGENT (2025)
THRILLER | CRIME | PERIOD
It’s 1977 in Recife, Brazil, where the politics are dominated by a military dictatorship, the news by the finding of a severed leg inside a shark, and the culture by carnival and Jaws. Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a man haunted by his past, is trying to arrange a better life for himself and his son while navigating a terminally corrupt police force and dodging a couple of hitmen who are on his trail. Throw in a two-faced cat, a German tailor with an ambiguous wartime past, and a sentient amputated leg, and you have a recipe for a unique cinematic experience!
I caught the trailer for this a while back and I really liked the look of it. Wagner Moura is a consistently interesting performer, and it seemed to have a nice period grit while embracing an adventurous modern sensibility. The Secret Agent [O Agente Secreto] has ranked highly on many prestigious end of year lists, and it has proved to be a major part of the conversation this awards season. It won more awards than any other film at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival (including Best Actor for Moura and Best Director for Mendonça Filho), and at this year’s Oscars, it is nominated for both Best Picture and Best International Feature, along with another nod for Moura. Sounds tasty!
LEGIT
+ A slick, stylish, and at times playfully anarchic crime thriller, The Secret Agent keeps you on your toes from the get go. From the opening scene where Marcelo pulls up at a petrol station where a dead body has been lying in the sun for days, the film maintains a keen, compelling edge. It drip-feeds only what you need to know, and has a nicely ragged quality that doesn’t tie up every loose end in an obvious way.
+ Everyone comes across as tangibly real, and even incidental characters are fully formed and alive. This is a tactile world and the people we meet are fundamental parts of that tapestry. At the centre of it all is Moura, whose unshowy, grounded performance holds the centre of the story together.
+ There is a wild, animalistic quality to this world. It’s red in tooth and claw, and you sense the peril lurking around every corner. The film crawling with animal imagery that reinforces this theme. This raw naturalism is further enhanced by Emilie Lesclaux cinematography, which employs lenses and camera equipment from the 70s to recreate the distinct look and feel of movies from that era.
+ While there is a visceral menace to many of the scenes, especially those depicting the violence and corruption that was clearly so rife at the time, this is all tempered with a deep vein of black comedy, particularly during one sequence with a reanimated severed leg (a brilliant visualisation of events that were actually reported on at the time).
LEG IT
- It’s an off-kilter piece that rewards those who are looking for something adventurous, but might be too challenging for others. You really need to pay attention, so a certain mental stamina is needed. I highly recommend giving it a shot though. This is pure cinema!
Wondering where to watch it? Check JustWatch for availability.
How do my ratings hold up? Is it more of a movie or is it a film? Let me know in the comments below! If you like what I’m trying to do here, please like, subscribe, restack, and share.