The Secret Agent

2016

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1
6| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 17 July 2016 Ended
Producted By: World Productions
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07ltxsr
Synopsis

London, 1886. Unbeknown to his loyal wife Winnie, Soho shopkeeper Verloc works as a secret agent for the Russian government. Angry that Britain harbours violent anarchists, the Russians coerce Verloc into planting a bomb that will provoke the authorities into cracking down on these extremists. Caught between the Russians and the British police, Verloc reluctantly draws his own family into a tragic terror plot.

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Reviews

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense
Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation
Cleveronix A different way of telling a story
vic-22965 I cannot understand the negative reviews about this film, it was excellent, the only actor l had heard of was Toby Jones who played Capt. Mainwaring in the remake of Dad's Army, and l think that's what made it so much better then a film with big start names it felt more authentic, it was sad, dramatic, drama, but bedside anything else it was excellent l give it 9/10
Tweekums This three part drama is centred on Mr. Verloc; a member of a group of anarchists living in London. For the most part they are an ineffectual bunch; they talk a lot but don't actually do anything. Verloc is actually a spy in the pay of Russia and Russia believes that Britain's response to the anarchists has been far too gentle. Hoping to force Britain to adopt a tougher position the Russian First Secretary pressures Verloc to take real action… he wants him to bomb the Greenwich Observatory. To this end Verloc works with fellow anarchist 'The Professor', who makes the bomb before heading out with his autistic brother-in-law on the mission that can only end in tragedy. Before the explosion the police, most notably Inspector Heat, think the anarchists are a bunch of harmless losers but afterwards they are determined to find out who was behind it and expose their backers.Having not read the book I can't say how this adaption compares but as a piece of television I found it rather enjoyable… if distinctly bleak. Toby Jones does a great job as Verloc; a distinctly unlikable protagonist who can't accept that he is to blame for the tragic event midway through the series. He is ably supported by Vicky McClure, who plays his wife, and excels in the final tragic episode. Stephen Graham impresses as Inspector Heat; the only authority figure who doesn't seem to be self-serving. The rest of the cast are pretty good too. Given the age of the original story this feels remarkably fresh; its themes of terrorist plots seem just as relevant today. The story is well told and thankfully the creators didn't decide to provide a happy ending. Overall this was a solid, if somewhat downbeat, story; it won't be for everybody but I rather enjoyed it.
question65 (Contains spoiler of first episode.!!)Toby Jones!! Excellent mystery era! Nice looking women! Spies and bowler hats! Sounds great huh? Well not for the first episode.So you're introduced to the life of a man who is a spy. His wife, her mother. an autistic young man. and the spy's contact. You're told that he is being basically blackmailed by his boss to not just be a spy that delivers info, but to cause commotion by planting a bomb in a public place. If he does not, he will be a target for anyone who would want the spies gone. By the will of his boss, publicly showing that He is on Their payroll...That's it. That's about the extent of interesting things. after this moment there is a odd mix of unexplained emotional outbursts, dull conversations, bickering between contacts, weird random naked photography in the shop, the mother moves out and the autistic boy is basically the only logical person in it.I had to drink two cups of coffee and entertain myself on my phone just to even hear this episode out.It's easy to point the finger and say its simply beyond me, its too deep or something. But the thing is, these kind of movies (preferrably far from the spoon-feeding American touch) is my kind of thing. But this here....? Verly poorly constructed. Its like it copied famous series and scenes, but didn't quite understand and grasp the reasoning behind their successes.
s3276169 The Secret Agent based on Joseph Konrad's work of the same name, for me at least, is rather uninspiring and badly dated. This series, on first view, feels like a "dull artifact" that expresses stale, somewhat paranoid sentiments, from a bygone era. Unlike similar series, such as Reilly Ace of Spies, there's nothing overly exciting on offer here. Reilly beautifully captured the essence of an early period of political intrigue and built an enjoyable tale around it. By contrast, The Secret Agent, simply feels like a proxy for the exhumed opinions of long dead political elites, afraid of the Communist bogey man. The acting in this series and production values, as is often the case in the UK, are of a high standard. Its not for me, the performances, that are in question, however. The whole proposition seems anachronistic, when filtered through 21st century eyes. The Secret Agent, might have worked as a satire or adapted to a comedic format but, as serous drama, to me, it feels like an absurdity. Five out of ten.

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