The Secret Agent

Play trailer

1:44

The Secret Agent

R

In Theaters Nov 26

2h 38m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

History

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

69 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 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.

Coming Soon

In Theaters Nov 26

Reserve Tickets

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Kleber Mendonça Filho

Director

Wagner Moura

Marcelo Alves

Udo Kier

Hans

Gabriel Leone

Bobbi

Maria Fernanda Cândido

Elza

Hermila Guedes

Claudia

Giovanni Marchini Camia

Sight & Sound

Such confident skill, combined with the richness of the narrative and the impressively fluid storytelling, renders the film riveting for all 158 minutes of its running time. One is tempted to call it a masterpiece.

Nov 4, 2025

Full Review

Soham Gadre

Chicago Reader

Filho crafts his central characters as fully fleshed out people, keeping their humanity grounded in their friendships, relationships, and fantasies in close quarters.

Oct 16, 2025

Full Review

Kyle Smith

Wall Street Journal

The 1970s production design is a wonder in itself.

Oct 16, 2025

Full Review

Amelia Harvey

That Hashtag Show

At 158 minutes runtime, The Secret Agent feels half the length. Mendonça Filho has somehow managed to create a film that is almost three hours long and barely feels two

Rated: 90%

Nov 4, 2025

Full Review

Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

Takes some time to get going, but it ultimately becomes a fascinating study of Brazil in the 1970s

Oct 31, 2025

Full Review

Jeff York

The Establishing Shot

The details throughout, from the costumes to the production design to the Panavision lensing, give this period piece a vivid sense of authenticity, almost as if it was all filmed during the 1970s as well.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 26, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

The Secret Agent: Trailer 1

1:44

The Secret Agent: Teaser Trailer

1:10

View more videos

View more photos

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
Runtime: 2h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1