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The Secret Agent (1996)
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Overview
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Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
8 November 1996 (USA)
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Plot:
London of the late 19th century is a haven for political exiles of all sorts - refugees, partisans, anarchists...
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Recession Friendly Hitchcock
(From ioncinema. 27 February 2009)
Interview: Christopher Hampton (Atonement)
(From ioncinema. 13 December 2007)
(From ioncinema. 27 February 2009)
Interview: Christopher Hampton (Atonement)
(From ioncinema. 13 December 2007)
User Comments:
Boring secret agents
more (26 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Bob Hoskins | ... | Verloc | |
| Patricia Arquette | ... | Winnie | |
| Gérard Depardieu | ... | Ossipon | |
| Jim Broadbent | ... | Chief Inspector Heat | |
| Robin Williams | ... | The Professor (as George Spelvin) | |
| Christian Bale | ... | Stevie | |
| Roger Hammond | ... | Mr. Michaelis | |
| Eddie Izzard | ... | Vladimir | |
| Ralph Nossek | ... | Yundt | |
| Neville Phillips | ... | Ticket clerk | |
| Elizabeth Spriggs | ... | Winnie's mother | |
| Peter Vaughan | ... | The Driver | |
| Julian Wadham | ... | The Assistant Commissioner |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent
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MPAA:
Rated R for some moments of violence.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
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Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Finland:K-12 |
Iceland:12 |
Netherlands:12 |
Argentina:16 |
France:U |
Portugal:M/12 |
Singapore:PG |
Spain:13 |
UK:12 |
USA:R
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Bob Hoskins was originally set to direct as well.
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Quotes:
The Professor:
Pull yourself together. Remorse is for the weak and weakness is the source of all evil on this Earth. There's a time coming - and it's gonna be sooner rather than later - when this will be understood by governments and individuals: that there can be no progress and no solutions until you make a rational decision to exterminate the weak.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Aliens vs. Predator 2 (2001) (VG)
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Whoever cares about international terrorism? It's just a boring subject, let's face it. Any objections? Well, I can understand if there are some. This film, however, might unexpectedly make you accept the truth of the above provocative statements. At least until the next time you zap to a TV news channel that is.
It's hard not to see awesome potential in doing an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Agent'. And it's hard to believe such a boring and inconsequential mess could be created following up on that very idea. Incredible, just think of the following issues explored in the movie: a web of anarchist militants finding political refuge in 1880s London, an agent provocateur run by the Russian embassy, a would-be suicide bomber, human drama complicating plots and counter-plots and so on. If I managed to excite you a little by mentioning these themes, so sorry, the film will still be boring.
To say something positive, at least it's not altogether unwatchable and, totally unexpectedly for me, the scenes between two actors from whom I would have normally anticipated the least were actually some of the best moments of the film, the scenes between Robin Williams and Gérard Depardieu, both playing anarchists with a rather mysterious (anarchic?) mindset. Oh, and it's quite likely I'll read the book after all, for what I have seen at least was enough to convince me that it might be a good idea.