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Secret Defense

Play trailer Poster for Secret Defense 1999 2h 53m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
When a brilliant scientist (Sandrine Bonnaire) discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance. However, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations in this fascinating thriller.
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Secret Defense

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker 02/03/2014
With suave and feline images by the cinematographer William Lubtchansky, Rivette offers a virtual documentary on modern bourgeois solitude ... Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 11/12/2007
The brooding intimations of Greek tragedy are part of what keeps this 170-minute thriller fascinating throughout. Go to Full Review
Time Out 02/09/2006
For all its mysteries, the movie thoroughly repudiates suspense. Go to Full Review
Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine 07/27/2023
3/5
The entire cast rises to the occasion, particularly [Sandrine] Bonnaire, who was on a roll in the 1990s, though the fatalistic tone rarely lifts. Go to Full Review
Film4 Staff Film4 11/12/2007
Thanks to Bonnaire's characteristically intelligent performance, the circumlocutions hold some interest, proving again that since her discovery by Pialat she has become the most uncompromising of French actresses. Go to Full Review
Ken Fox TV Guide 11/12/2007
3.5/4
The film will either draw you in (as Rivette's best films can), or simply wear you out. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Johnny Z 09/29/2022 Great thriller, Jacques Rivette style. See more Arzaloued V 06/13/2023 Un scénario débiles étiré en longeur pour faire intello, des dialogues artificiels récités par desacteurs figés ou empruntés à la limite du grotestque, une technique caméra dénuée de toute créativité, répétitive et d'une monotonie ahurissante... mais comme c'est du monsieur Rivette, on se pame et on ne se lasse pas de flatter le caractère oh combien artistique de ce nouveau navet stratosphérique bien franchouillard. See more 07/04/2015 An immensely strange film from Rivette. On the surface it's a thriller, but it's 3 hours long and really has about as much plot as you'd expect from a film of regular length. Genre conventions are largely thrown away here. The build up to what action there is is drawn out to incredible lengths without really attempting to build up suspense. The action is staged rather casually and indifferently. The plot centers on a murder and there's a twist, but it's all a bit sketchy and indifferently thought out. This will all make it sound like I didn't like the film, but I liked it a great deal. It all serves to highlight the stupidity and irrevocable nature of the violence. Besides that, it's extremely well-written in the sense that the actors are given a lot of thoughtful dialogue and actions inside the clumsily executed thriller maneuvers. See more 05/28/2014 Calling this movie "deliberately paced" is understatement, but a patient viewer will appreciate its meditative approach to storytelling. Long train rides never seemed so meaningful. See more 01/01/2009 Avec Largo Winch et Secret Défense, on se dit qu'en fin le cinéma français aborde le thriller à l'américaine, de façon totalement décomplexée. Et réussite. See more 12/21/2008 Moyen plus. Les deux acteurs principaux sont tres bons. La musique est quelconque, et la réalisation est moyenne (des scenes d'interieur manquaient d'eclairage). See more Read all reviews
Secret Defense

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Movie Info

Synopsis When a brilliant scientist (Sandrine Bonnaire) discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance. However, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations in this fascinating thriller.
Director
Jacques Rivette
Producer
Martine Marignac, Maurice Tinchant
Screenwriter
Pascal Bonitzer, Emanuelle Cuau, Jacques Rivette
Distributor
Pierre Grise Distribution, Artificial Eye
Production Co
La Sept Cinema, Pierre Grisé Productions
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 1999, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 14, 2023
Runtime
2h 53m
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