SummaryBased on Joseph Conrad's novel about a quiet English shopkeeper, a secret spy for the Russian Embassy, is ordered to plant a bomb that will wreak havoc on the British public. (Fox Searchlight)
Directed By:Christopher Hampton
Written By:Joseph Conrad, Christopher Hampton
The Secret Agent
Metascore
Mixed or Average
41
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
41
29% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
35% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
35% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
80
A dense, faithful and absorbing adaptation of the Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel. [08 Nov 1996]
75
Writer-director Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Joseph Conrad's widely-read novel is an honorable failure, a screen version that's actually too faithful to its source.
50
On screen, the result feels stagey and cramped, as though the film had been "adjusted for your TV set" before going to video. [13 Dec 1996]
40
A dour study of terrorism, 1880s style, The Secret Agent represents an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's only London-based novel, the fidelity of which to the original text does not yield a terrifically exciting film.
30
The Secret Agent, with its hemmed-in shots, feels like a TV production; what is said takes precedence over what is done. Even in the writing department, Hampton founders. [06 Dec 1996]
30
The movie, which imagines its principal characters as metaphorically ticking time bombs, never convincingly portrays their passions.
25
This project is dead in the water. Read the book. Better still, read "Victory."
User Reviews
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
20% Positive
1 Rating
1 Rating
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
40% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
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