watch later

Not interested / seen

Official Secrets (2019)Official Secrets (2019)

Official Secrets (2019)

Biography of an Iraq War whistleblower

Drama, History, Thriller

best
THE VERY BEST

8.0

movie

Canada, China
English, German, Mandarin
Instructive, Suspenseful, True-story-based
2019
Gavin Hood
Adam Bakri, Andrew Marr, Angus Wright
112 min

Synopsis

rotten tomatoes
imdb
wikipedia
The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun who—prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion—leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war.

Our Take

8.0
The Staff

Keira Knightley stars in this incredible true story of an Iraq War whistleblower who remains relatively little-known in the U.S. Katharine Gun was working for the communications office for the British government when she received a memo in the months leading to the war that showed that the U.S. requested illegal wiretapping assistance from the U.K. on U.N. diplomats. In a heroic act, she chooses to share this memo, hoping that it would stop her government (then led by Tony Blair) from going to war. Spoiler alert: didn’t happen, but this decision, which first seemed like a personal sacrifice, has severe implications on her family as the government finds out that she was behind the leak. A compelling political mystery of a case that deserves much more attention than it once got.

Comments

What did you think? Who should watch it?

Next up

You Hurt My Feelings (2023)

7.9

Wise, funny, and utterly relatable, this mediation on the merits of white lies and bitter truths is a delightful piece of work

Sanctuary (2023)

best

8.4

An ingenious blend of erotic thriller and dark comedy with a once-in-a-lifetime performance by Margaret Qualley

Cette Maison (2022)

best

8.4

A heartbreaking but transcendent dramatic exercise that uses imagination to reckon with a devastating loss

Polite Society (2023)

best

8.6

This riotous mishmash of influences still feels utterly original thanks to some ingenious writing and a whirlwind central performance

The Stroll (2023)

best

8.5

The often neglected but deeply necessary story of trans sex workers, finally told in their own voice

Godland (2022)

best

8.3

A grand, terrific beauty of a film

Tin & Tina (2023)

6.0

Two orphaned twins bring darkness and danger into the lives of a young couple

About My Father (2023)

4.4

This weak imitation of Meet the Parents can't be saved, not even by Robert De Niro

Stan Lee (2023)

7.0

A charming introduction to the famous comic book creator with words from the man himself

There Is No Evil (2020)

best

8.4

Director Mohammad Rasoulof questions the morality of the death penalty in Iran