The Secret Agent (1996)

London of the late 19th century is a haven for political exiles of all sorts - refugees, partisans, anarchists. Verloc has made his living spying for the Russian government, an agent ... See full summary »

Director:

Christopher Hampton

Writers:

Joseph Conrad (novel), Christopher Hampton

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, Patricia Arquette, Gérard Depardieu

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bob Hoskins	...	Verloc
Patricia Arquette	...	Winnie
Gérard Depardieu	...	Ossipon
Jim Broadbent	...	Chief Inspector Heat
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

Storyline

London of the late 19th century is a haven for political exiles of all sorts - refugees, partisans, anarchists. Verloc has made his living spying for the Russian government, an agent provocateur of sorts, while simultaneously providing information to the London police, specifically Chief Inspector Heat. When the new Russian ambassador demands he prove his worth or lose his salary, Verloc sets off a tragic chain of events that involves his pretty young wife Winnie, her intellectually disabled brother Stevie, and a figure called the Professor, whose fascination with explosives and destruction makes him the person to call on when Verloc needs a bomb.

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Plot Keywords:

young wife | bomb | anarchist | mentally disabled person | secret agent | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some moments of violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oddly enough, after checking a tape recording of the Italian version of this movie, the name of Robin Williams was neither included on the titles or in the end crew and characters' list.

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Quotes

Chief Inspector Heat: Makes me long for the days when I was dealing with good honest thieves. Least you know where you are with thieves. Bit of mutual respect.

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Connections

Version of Folio: The Secret Agent (1957)

User Reviews

A very good film, if not quite a masterpiece....

A very good film, if not quite a masterpiece....

This film aims very high, with every intention of obtaining stratospheric heights, but time restraints do not allow this film to fulfill it's full potential, and I think that the obvious effort put into the film by all involved, can produce a slight sense of disappointment in those who appreciate the film, and only increases the alienation of those who are not attuned to the themes of the film.

Essentially, I think that the film's greatest flaw is that it is excessively abbreviated, and most characters are not able to be fully developed. This is partly the fault of Joseph Conrad, who wrote complicated and intricately plotted books, but the slow pace which adds greatly (and appropriately) to the atmosphere of the film, also prevents the insertion of additional scenes to develop the characters. This film could have been expanded into a masterpiece, but it would have been very long. To appreciate the film, one must grasp the nature of a large number of characters, and often there are only abbreviated cues to show the way. Thus a story about betrayals small and great, becomes a film of great betrayals.

It appears that opinions are very polarized on the acting in this film, but I found most of the performances engaging, with the strong exception of Robin Williams, who seems to be mainly engaged in an attempt to break out of his comedy roles with the aid of a phony scowl. I should note that others disagree with my opinion of Robin Williams in this case however.

I found the soundtrack (by Philip Glass) to be outstanding, with a traditional flavor as is appropriate to the film, but quite original.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1998 (UK)

Also Known As:

Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,909, 10 November 1996

Gross USA:

$106,606

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$106,606

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Capitol Films, World Film Music Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1