The Secret Agent

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The Secret Agent

In Theaters Wed Nov 26

2h 40m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

History

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49 Reviews

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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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Kleber Mendonça Filho

Director

Wagner Moura

Marcelo Alves

Udo Kier

Hans

Gabriel Leone

Bobbi

Maria Fernanda Cândido

Elza

Hermila Guedes

Claudia

Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Wagner Moura, best known for brilliantly playing the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in TV’s Narcos, is a force of nature as tech expert Marcelo.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 16, 2025

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Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

Mimicking the form, and channeling the spirit, of ’70s big-screen blockbusters, it’s a bravura tale of community, persecution, and the way in which memory is both stolen and recovered.

Sep 8, 2025

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Mark Hanson

Slant Magazine

More broadly appealing than Kleber Mendonça Filho’s past films, The Secret Agent is still unmistakeably the work of an artist who’s deeply fascinated with the ways in which cinema, politics, and personal history co-mingle.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 5, 2025

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

The charismatic and charming Moura is the glue that holds the entire epic together, giving us a complicated, layered portrait of a haunted man who refuses to compromise his ideals.

Rated: A

Sep 27, 2025

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Alfred Castaneda

Shade Studios

The Secret Agent is a slow-burn thriller that extracts a career-best performance from Moura, while cementing Mendonca Filho as one of Brazil’s top auteurs of the moment.

Sep 21, 2025

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Maxance Vincent

Film Speak

It’s both politically and cinematically cogent – the only way Kleber knows how to make art that will undoubtedly stand the test of time long after he has departed this Earth.

Rated: A+

Sep 12, 2025

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The Secret Agent: Teaser Trailer

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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
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, History
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 2h 40m