The Secret Agent (2025)
I noted in my review of Bacurau that I appreciated it for its non-western genremashup, and this has similar qualities - in my mind much closer to a Coen-style film. Especially No Country For Old Men. The 70s look combined with the tension of a dictatorship rule really drew me in at first, and I was intrigued by the narrative that deliberately leaves you without full information for quite a while. But gradually I started to get a little annoyed by this style, as it seemed more and more like artificial suspense. The “putting pieces together” became less interesting as I mostly waited for the movie to reveal itself where it was already going, like one long tease of exposition. The film is frankly too long. I did like the turnaround for where it finally went, as it refuses to give proper closure with an almost off-screen ending to what we think is the main narrative - again not unlike No Country For Old Men. It is a bold move and it did work in the movie’s favor, as it ended up being more how history shapes people and society for decades, rather than the spectacular events from a short period in time.
Rating: 3