The Secret Agent review: Kleber Mendonça Filhos political crime thriller is a must-see
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest film, *The Secret Agent*, is a gripping political crime thriller that delves into the complexities of life under Brazil’s military dictatorship in the late 1970s. Set predominantly in Recife, Pernambuco, the film follows Armando (played by Wagner Moura), a widowed university professor on the run from a corrupt regime that has already cost him his wife. As he navigates the vibrant yet perilous landscape of Carnival, the film juxtaposes moments of celebration with the ever-present threat of violence and persecution. The narrative unfolds through a series of time-jumping acts, expertly edited by Eduardo Serrano and Matheus Farias, allowing viewers to piece together Armando’s harrowing past while witnessing his desperate attempts to secure a future for himself and his young son.
Moura’s performance is a standout, earning him the Best Actor award at Cannes. He embodies the character of Armando with a profound sense of internal struggle, portraying a man who is both a victim of authoritarian cruelty and a quiet hero resisting the forces of corruption. The film is populated with a rich ensemble cast, including Tânia Maria as the nurturing matriarch Dona Sebastiana and Isabél Zuaa as Thereza, a fellow refugee. The characters are intricately woven into the fabric of Recife’s society, where political refugees share their stories amid the chaos of a city rife with crooked officials and violence. The film’s aesthetic is a tribute to the 1970s, featuring vibrant colors and meticulous period details that transport audiences back in time, while also serving as a poignant reminder of the era’s struggles.
*The Secret Agent* is not just a historical drama; it is a deeply human exploration of fear, resilience, and the quest for freedom. Mendonça Filho’s direction captures the essence of a turbulent period in Brazil’s history while maintaining a focus on the personal experiences of those affected. The film’s stunning cinematography and atmospheric score further enhance the viewing experience, making it a must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of art and politics. As *The Secret Agent* prepares for its theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, audiences can look forward to an engaging narrative that resonates with contemporary themes of authoritarianism and resistance.
Aquarius
and
Bacurau
director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s
The Secret Agent
weaves a complex, time-jumping political crime thriller, focusing on one man’s experience of persecution.
Mainly set in the late ’70s in the Brazilian writer/director’s hometown of Recife, Pernambuco, but moving fluidly between the past and present, the film predominantly takes place in the tumultuous years of Brazil’s military dictatorship. It’s a heavy topic explored with humanity, boasting such a compelling script, impeccable acting, and striking 1970s aesthetic that it’s impossible to look away.
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In the lead,
Narcos
and
Civil War
star
Wagner Moura
gives a tremendously interior performance as a man justifiably paranoid in his mission to escape his country’s authoritarian regime. There’s a reason Moura took Best Actor at Cannes, with Mendonça Filho snatching Best Director;
The Secret Agent
sees both dive headfirst into the complexities of rampant corruption and desperately searching for a way out.
The Secret Agent
flicks between past and present to craft a complex narrative.
Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent.”
Credit: Victor Juca
Over three acts superbly edited by Eduardo Serrano and Matheus Farias, Mendonça Filho’s film runs on multiple timelines in the past and present. In 1977, we meet Armando (Moura), who’s going by the alias Marcelo, a man newly arrived in a residential complex in Recife during the annual Carnival period. A small Kodak box fits all of his possessions, and he gives little away about himself. The apartments are run by vigilant matriarch Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria), and Armando is welcomed with open arms. Among omnipresent Carnival celebrations, Armando is warmly introduced by his septuagenarian guardian to his neighbours. They’re also political refugees, though not all enjoy using the term. There’s Thereza Vitória (Isabél Zuaa), who has fled the Angolan Civil War with her partner; there’s single mother Claudia (Hermila Guedes) whose past beyond her dental profession remains her own mystery to bear. Many live under threat of death, like our protagonist.
Meanwhile, corruption runs rife through the city streets, as do careening cop vans full of crooked officials, hooting, hollering, and unabashedly lawless. The most prominent in
The Secret Agent
is police chief Euclides (Robério Diógenes) and his bodyguard-like sons Arlindo (Ítalo Martins) and Sergio (Igor de Araújo), who enter the story by being pulled out of Carnival when a man’s severed leg is found in a dead shark — and this is by no means the limit of the violence ahead in
The Secret Agent
.
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Slowly, the film reveals the seriousness of Armando’s situation: he’s a widowed university professor, specialising in electrical engineering, who is fleeing persecution amid the country’s military dictatorship. In his past, standing up to corporate greed and corrupt government bureaucracy has left him vulnerable and robbed him of his beloved wife Fátima (
New Bandits
‘ Alice Carvalho). Getting out is no easy feat, as corruption, surveillance, and sinister men orbit Armando at every turn — including two unnervingly unflappable hitmen, Bobbi (
Ferrari
‘s Gabriel Leone) and his stepfather Augusto (Roney Villela), on his trail.
As well as Dona Sebastiana, others work under the radar to help those persecuted escape the country, such as Elza (
Vermelho Monet
‘s Maria Fernanda Cândido), who offers a form of witness protection, promising passports in a few days. A placement within the city’s Identification Institute is Armando’s best chance of finding physical proof of his mother’s identity before he leaves Brazil with his young son, who lives with his grandparents.
In the present, two young investigators in São Paulo listen to cassettes of recorded conversations from Armando’s time, and we’re left wondering where exactly their research is leading. Here, and through Mendonça Filho’s use of archival photographs, the film becomes a fictional artifact in itself, a story worthy of study and examination. But it’s the lived-in performances by the actors themselves that bring this unstable historical period to life, with Moura out front.
Wagner Moura gives a tremendous performance in
The Secret Agent.
Tasked with multiple roles across time periods, Moura earns every inch of his Cannes Best Actor award in
The Secret Agent
. The role was specifically written by Mendonça Filho for him, after all. A classic hero brave enough to challenge powerful, corrupt entities while rightly fearing for his life and his family, Armando predominantly internalises the level of serious threat constantly weighing on him. Moura’s subtlety and frustration imbues our protagonist with a deeply human valiance, one that makes us as viewers want to protect him at all costs.
Embodying a true ensemble affair,
The Secret Agent
sees Moura surrounded by bold, outlandish performances, all the way from iconic German actor Udo Kier as expat tailor Hans to
Greta
star Diógenes as the city’s corrupt chief of police. Notably, Armando finds sanctuary with his father-in-law Sr. Alexandre (a wonderful performance by
Bacurau
‘s Carlos Francisco) who owns the local Cinema São Luiz, showing Brazilian films alongside American horror films like
Jaws
and
The Omen
that cause outright hysteria in audiences. Here, and through Evgenia Alexandrova’s exquisite cinematography, you can feel Mendonça Filho’s reverence for cinema as a filmmaker, critic, and curator — and its importance in turbulent times. In fact,
The Secret Agent
is a perfect pairing with the director’s 2023 documentary
Pictures of Ghosts
(
Retratos Fantasmas
), which traces cinema in his hometown of Recife.
The Secret Agent
runs on a striking ’70s aesthetic.
Ítalo Martins, Robério Diógenes, Wagner Moura, and Igor de Araújo in “The Secret Agent.”
Credit: Victor Juca
Despite the paranoia and corruption that pervades the narrative, Mendonça Filho’s film is a stunning ’70s affair. Shot in anamorphic Panavision, it’s nothing short of a feast for the eyes (before it’s not). Each scene comes awash with the decade’s signature oranges, browns, and yellows, with production designer Thales Junqueira’s meticulous work on full display. Architect Chu Ming Silveira’s iconic, egg-shaped, yellow public phone booths known as Orelhões (or “Big Ears”) form a vital part of both the storyline and city landscape, while costume designer Rita Azevedo finds glorious authenticity in period-specific outfits.
Despite the political upheaval on the ground, Mendonça Filho also reverently and accurately captures the visuals of Recife, with Armando taking in gorgeous cityscapes from the Cinema São Luiz projection room, bathed in sunlight, and the street scenes often focusing on the members of the community caught up in the chaos. There’s also a little magical realism thrown in for unexpected measure, and composers Mateus Alves and Tomaz Alves Souza pull everything together with an immersive, atmospheric score.
Ultimately, Mendonça Filho’s film explores a time of political corruption, violence, and warranted paranoia through a human lens, with the director saying in a press statement, “The challenge was to make a film about the logic of that time without ticking all the boxes of the dictatorship movie.” With Moura’s powerful performance framed by a reverent, authentic aesthetic,
The Secret Agent
is a deeply humanised look at a historical moment of authoritarianism and government corruption. It’s a must-see.
UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 6:14 p.m. EST
“The Secret Agent” was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. This article was originally published on Oct. 11, 2025.
The Secret Agent
hits cinemas in New York on Nov. 26 and Los Angeles Dec. 5, with nationwide release to follow.
The film will be released in the UK and Ireland Feb. 20, 2026.
