IMDb RATING
6.6/10
8.7K
YOUR RATING
In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency - SOE - to recruit and train women as spies.In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency - SOE - to recruit and train women as spies.In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency - SOE - to recruit and train women as spies.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter shooting, lead actress Sarah Megan Thomas's left Achilles tendon ruptured. The rupture occurred due to complications of playing Virginia Hall on screen (a historical character with a wooden left leg). Thomas needed surgery and extensive rehab to repair the tendon.
- GoofsVirginia Hall refers to "CARE packages" during the war. CARE packages were not created until 1946 by the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE). However, "Care Package" is a generic term for such packages, the most prolific of which were those distributed via the International Red Cross.
- Quotes
Virginia Hall: I've never seen so much hatred. The Germans control what the French read and hear.False information is everywhere. The latest, an anti-Semitic exhibition. There are lines down the block to see it.
Featured review
A worthwhile call
The main reason for seeing 'A Call to Spy' was the subject matter, a powerful one made up of the true stories of three inspirational but somewhat overlooked women who worked as spies in the second world war. Being someone who has a thing for promising concepts and bold subject matters. Also like historical dramas, films inspired by or based on true stories and anything centered around spies also intrigues. Not to mention the cast.
'A Call to Spy' was a solid and laudable effort in making the women and their stories known in cinematic terms. It doesn't quite succeed in every area and the women's stories were more powerful than the one that is presented here, but there was also a lot to like about it and it was hard to not admire its good intentions. There was a great film somewhere in 'A Call to Spy', a great one that doesn't quite materialise but has elements of greatness in individual components, but to me it was not a waste of potential.
Like has been said above, 'A Call to Spy' has a lot of good. The best thing about it is the acting, the standout being the committed, determined and heartfelt performance from Sarah Megan Thomas. Stana Katic is a forceful presence too and the chemistry between the two is done with a lot of sincerity and respect. Linus Roache and Radhika Apte bring a lot of dignity to their roles. The rest of the cast are fine, with the enemy being portrayed as genuinely sinister and the film doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of what they did.
It is a good looking film, handsomely and atmospherically shot with a good eye for period detail that doesn't look too clean, the French scenes looking suitably uncompromising. The music has a nice mix of emotions and isn't overused or over-emphasised. The film is directed with a lot of committment and heart, it is easy to tell that the subject meant a lot to the director and all involved. The scripting on the whole is thoughtful and well intended, while the story has enough tension and poignancy (though there could have been more of the former).
Didn't think the storytelling or the film were perfectly executed though. There are too many cliched supporting characters and most of them are given too much short shrift. Khan is rather underdeveloped which is a far cry from the meaty character writing of Hall and Atkins and her fate was actually even more harrowing than presented in the film.
Some of the French dialogue is stilted and there are lulls in pacing where the action is a little too over-deliberate and relies too much on talk. Particularly early on.
Overall, solid effort. 7/10.
'A Call to Spy' was a solid and laudable effort in making the women and their stories known in cinematic terms. It doesn't quite succeed in every area and the women's stories were more powerful than the one that is presented here, but there was also a lot to like about it and it was hard to not admire its good intentions. There was a great film somewhere in 'A Call to Spy', a great one that doesn't quite materialise but has elements of greatness in individual components, but to me it was not a waste of potential.
Like has been said above, 'A Call to Spy' has a lot of good. The best thing about it is the acting, the standout being the committed, determined and heartfelt performance from Sarah Megan Thomas. Stana Katic is a forceful presence too and the chemistry between the two is done with a lot of sincerity and respect. Linus Roache and Radhika Apte bring a lot of dignity to their roles. The rest of the cast are fine, with the enemy being portrayed as genuinely sinister and the film doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of what they did.
It is a good looking film, handsomely and atmospherically shot with a good eye for period detail that doesn't look too clean, the French scenes looking suitably uncompromising. The music has a nice mix of emotions and isn't overused or over-emphasised. The film is directed with a lot of committment and heart, it is easy to tell that the subject meant a lot to the director and all involved. The scripting on the whole is thoughtful and well intended, while the story has enough tension and poignancy (though there could have been more of the former).
Didn't think the storytelling or the film were perfectly executed though. There are too many cliched supporting characters and most of them are given too much short shrift. Khan is rather underdeveloped which is a far cry from the meaty character writing of Hall and Atkins and her fate was actually even more harrowing than presented in the film.
Some of the French dialogue is stilted and there are lulls in pacing where the action is a little too over-deliberate and relies too much on talk. Particularly early on.
Overall, solid effort. 7/10.
helpful•122
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 24, 2022
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Liberté: A Call to Spy (2019)
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $159,014
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $35,098
- Oct 4, 2020
- Gross worldwide
- $786,484
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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