I stumbled upon "The Secret Agent" amongst the cheap DVDs at a mall and this should have been a sign of warning. But you never know where you can dig up a hidden gem and with this impressive cast this film certainly looked a safe bet.
Well, as it turns out acting is the only facet of the movie that doesn't disappoint. I especially liked Jim Broadbent's Chief Inspector Heat but the real surprise is Robin Williams, who turns in a convincing performance in one of his few darker roles. His scenes with Depardieu at a bar are the rare highlights of the movie.
Acting aside, there isn't really anything worthwhile that the movie could come up with. The story wasn't engaging enough to hold my attention I kept pushing the display button on the remote to see how much longer I need to endure. Also, since the movie is set in nineteenth century London I was constantly thinking about how they could find the locations or build sets to make the film believable, which is a clear sign that the filmmakers were not up to the task in that respect, since had the illusion been alright I wouldn't have been thinking about that in the first place.
Overall, a below average affair with a strong cast which the film itself couldn't live up to.
Well, as it turns out acting is the only facet of the movie that doesn't disappoint. I especially liked Jim Broadbent's Chief Inspector Heat but the real surprise is Robin Williams, who turns in a convincing performance in one of his few darker roles. His scenes with Depardieu at a bar are the rare highlights of the movie.
Acting aside, there isn't really anything worthwhile that the movie could come up with. The story wasn't engaging enough to hold my attention I kept pushing the display button on the remote to see how much longer I need to endure. Also, since the movie is set in nineteenth century London I was constantly thinking about how they could find the locations or build sets to make the film believable, which is a clear sign that the filmmakers were not up to the task in that respect, since had the illusion been alright I wouldn't have been thinking about that in the first place.
Overall, a below average affair with a strong cast which the film itself couldn't live up to.