The Secret Agent

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The Secret Agent

R

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2h 41m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

History

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

163 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100+ Verified Ratings

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting. Winner of Best Director and Best Actor in Cannes.

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Critics Consensus

A thematically rich and visually arresting political thriller, The Secret Agent blends grindhouse stylization with biting social commentary to weave a vividly dangerous yet darkly human tale.

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Audience Says

A thought-provoking political thriller that deliberately revisits a defining moment in Brazilian history, The Secret Agent is further cemented in the cinematic zeitgeist by Wagner Moura’s standout performance.

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Wenlei Ma

The Nightly (AU)

8h

4/5

As a thriller, The Secret Agent is exciting and entertaining, an evocative piece of art that’s wholly lived in, plunging you into a messy and tense environment of political repression and fear.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

6d

4/5

There’s plenty of suspense here, but also a strong strain of gallows humour running through the serpentine storyline as if to pay tribute to the benefits of absurdism as a survival strategy, and Mendonça Filho has done a great job evoking the 1970s.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Dec 31

It's really strong, but it's that thriller element that pushes it over the top.

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Peter Gray

The AU Review

1d

4.5/5

The Secret Agent stands as one of the year’s most vital films: a work that pulses with anger, empathy and cinematic ambition, insisting that the past is never past, and that looking away is not an option.

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Juanma Fernández París

El Nuevo Día (Puerto Rico)

3d

Kleber Menonca Filho's impeccable direction ensures that during its two hours and forty minutes, the film undergoes a dozen transformations, each one unexpected and effective. [Full review in Spanish]

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Robin Holabird

Robin Holabird

4d

The Secret Agent leaves on a note of wistfulness that suits reality rather than superspy fantasy and sticks in the mind with quiet intensity

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SJS

16h

Excellent cast, unique story, wonderful setting - I wish it were longer to learn more about all of the characters

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Claudia S

1d

Excellen t& captivating performance from Wagnar Moura!

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First L

3d

I had a difficult time following the plot line. Acting and art direction were superb, though.

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Elizabeth

4d

Beautiful script, spot-on production and design, brilliant score , directing, and acting. Resonates powerfully and painfully with our own time and country.

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James R

6d

I went into this one completely blind. No trailers just word of mouth that this was a great movie. It was definitely not what I expected, but it was an entertaining movie. The movie is set in 1977 and follows a man named Marcelo (Wagner Moura) who is on the run when he arrives at the city of Recife. There he is trying to reunite with his son to escape the country, but close on his heels are people out to get him. I don’t want to spoil the entire plot, but I liked the production on this one. The areas they shot st are vibrant and have a gritty beauty to it. Moura is great as the lead and really is the breakout here for me. I liked its overall message as well. I found it just starts a bit too slow. The first hour I was like “where is this going?” Fortunately, by the end I saw the full picture and recommend this one!

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Kellyann

Jan 20

Beautiful film and thrilling film.

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Kleber Mendonça Filho

Director

Wagner Moura

Marcelo Alves

Sebastiana de Medeiros

Dona Sebastiana

Udo Kier

Hans

Gabriel Leone

Bobbi

Maria Fernanda Cândido

Elza

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The Secret Agent: Trailer 1

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The Secret Agent: Teaser Trailer

1:10

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Synopsis

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting. Winner of Best Director and Best Actor in Cannes.

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Producer: Emilie Lesclaux, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Wagner Moura, Brent Travers
Screenwriter: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Distributor: NEON
Production Co: CinemaScópio Produções, Arte France Cinema, Black Rabbit Media, MK2 Films, Vitrine Filmes
Rating: R (Some Full Nudity|Sexual Content|Language|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, History
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 3, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.6M
Runtime: 2h 41m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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