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The Secret Agent

Play trailer 1:44 Poster for The Secret Agent R Now Playing 2h 38m Drama Mystery & Thriller History Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
99% Tomatometer 140 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 250+ 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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The Secret Agent

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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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Critics Reviews

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Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine 6d
3.5/4
The Secret Agent is a feast of sorts, overstuffed and beautiful, funny and sad. Go to Full Review
Michael Andor Brodeur Washington Post Dec 19
4/4
The Secret Agent suggests something more consequential with its gripping portrait of political resistance: that survival is a matter of both watching and watching over one another. Go to Full Review
Kimberley Jones Austin Chronicle Dec 18
4.5/5
The period detail is a marvel, the era’s music a most excellent groove, and the cast a top-to-bottom wowzer of interesting faces and eclectic bodies. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 2d
2.5/4
...a solid endeavor that doesn’t really have any business running 161 minutes. Go to Full Review
Dustin Chang Floating World 4d
The Secret Agent is about rebuking anti-intellectualism by having university researchers both past and present the heroes of the film which is also very pertinent in our own political climate. Go to Full Review
Ryan Swen Taipei Mansions 5d
The scale afforded here allows for the most vivid canvas Mendonça Filho has ever painted on. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Paul K 11h Great acting and story. A bit slow. Worth a watch though! See more Matt B 18h Well made but honestly I was bored See more Paul 1d Great film. Sometimes a bit messy and hard to follow. The lead actor gives a great performance. See more Startwo 1d I’m not a fan of the neo-noir genre See more Conall R 3d Will trade entire film for 5 more minutes of whatever the heck that leg sequence was. See more Francisco D 3d The way the wove the young history students researching the life of a researcher/professor who died during a complicated time in Brazil was well done. The acting superior and enough intrigue to keep you on edge. I appreciated how well done this movie was done. See more Read all reviews
The Secret Agent

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Movie Info

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
Box Office (Gross USA)
$975.3K
Runtime
2h 38m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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