Red Joan

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Mary D Dame Judi Dench is spectacular in this film produced in 2019. It is based on a true story. I can't believe all of the negative comments. The young Joan is spectacular. The story is intriguing and unique. The REASON Joan did what she did is very credible. History shows her motives resulted in no additional World Wars. That is pretty spectacular, I'd say. Seriously. I can't believe the ratings. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/20/25 Full Review Jim P You may have seen the over-hyped movie Oppenheimer, but I think this is better. Also easier to follow! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Julia G Boring movie about a fascinating story. You know every plotpoint in advance and nothing ist really interesting or suprising in this flick. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/24 Full Review Andrea M This isn't movie that puts you in a happy mood, but that doesn't make it bad. This movie was quite pleasent to see. It may not be 100% historicly accurate, but it doesn't have to be sence the true story was only an inspiration. It has a good dynamic, there wasn't a part of the movie where I was bored and in my opinion the story isn't going too slow. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Peter S First off, there are no really likable characters here, and Joan is probably the least likable of all. Even Dench couldn't make you like the contemptible subject of the story. In that regard, Cookson and Dench did incredible work because young Joan is not nice and doesn't improve in likability with age. The more Joan's story is revealed, the more you dislike her. Oh, they try to write her as semi-human and relatable. Still, she had an ego as big as a tree, destroyed some people's professional lives, betrayed others, and had a huge Messiah Complex - "I was trying to save the world, and I think I did!". Ugh. Pass the puke bucket. It's more like the bored girl was seeking thrills through espionage and betrayal, which all tickled her very healthy ego every time she got away with it and had praise heaped on her by her cohorts. The story is loosely based on Melita Norwood, who never had to pay for her betrayals. I wonder if she had a savior complex too. It sounds like it, based on what little I read of her. I'm not sure I want to get to know her better. Anyway, the writing is cloying and hokey, with such classics as "My wife will never give me a divorce" and "Think with your heart" (which is what people request of you when they don't want you to notice how despicably they behaved). Joan's son represents her in the legal proceedings (is that really a good idea?), and he has mixed feelings about his mother's activities. He gets very angry with her because of her treasonous activities, but somewhere along the line, he inexplicably has a change of heart. He shows up at the end, telling the press that his mother was not a villain but a hero. Good job, sonny boy, feed your mother's already-grandiose ego. All the people she injured and compromised are probably dead by now. She was no hero. While she was betraying her country, it was being bombed relentlessly by the Germans. The sovereignty of the UK was hanging by a thread until the US became an ally and got into the fight. Almost everything was underdeveloped and choppy - the writing, the characters, and the story in general. The acting was good to great, but the story and its pace did a disservice to the actors. It's tolerable but frustrating. I came because of Judy Dench and stories about spies. I left dissatisfied with the story, hating almost every character and wondering why I didn't find a better movie to watch. I'm sorry Melita Norwood's crimes weren't uncovered sooner when Great Britain still had capital punishment. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 04/06/23 Full Review Jessica L An interesting interpretation and well worth the watch. Hard hitting in a way I think most would shy away from. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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