Official Secrets review – Keira Knightley shines as a very ...

Keira Knightley in Official Secrets. ... There's something interestingly tough and forthright about this slow-burner from director and co-writer ... 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AdvertisementNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShowMoreShowMoreNewsWorldnewsUKnewsCoronavirusClimatecrisisEnvironmentScienceGlobaldevelopmentFootballTechBusinessObituariesOpinionTheGuardianviewColumnistsCartoonsOpinionvideosLettersSportFootballCricketRugbyunionTennisCyclingF1GolfUSsportsCultureBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStageLifestyleFashionFoodRecipesLove&sexHealth&fitnessHome&gardenWomenMenFamilyTravelMoneyMakeacontributionSubscribeSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteTheGuardianappVideoPodcastsPicturesNewslettersToday'spaperInsidetheGuardianTheObserverGuardianWeeklyCrosswordsSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStagePeterBradshaw'sfilmoftheweekOfficialSecretsOfficialSecretsreview–KeiraKnightleyshinesasaveryBritishwhistleblowerKnightleygivesasympatheticperformanceasIraqwarwhistleblowerKatharineGuninthisshrewdandrelevantspydrama KeiraKnightley:‘IraqwasthefirsttimeI’dbeenpoliticallyengaged’Focused…KeiraKnightleyinOfficialSecrets.Photograph:IfcFilms/AllstarFocused…KeiraKnightleyinOfficialSecrets.Photograph:IfcFilms/AllstarPeterBradshaw@PeterBradshaw1Fri18Oct201907.00BSTLastmodifiedonSat26Oct201912.16BSTThere’ssomethinginterestinglytoughandforthrightaboutthisslow-burnerfromdirectorandco-writerGavinHood.Itisabeady-eyedspydramathathasshrewdthingstosayabouttheBritishestablishment’stendencytospiteunderpressure,abouttheeternaldualityofcockupandconspiracy,abouttheKafkaesqueproblemsinvolvedindefendingyourselflegallyagainstatreasoncharge,and,importantly,aboutthekindofyoung,vulnerablepeoplethatweendupdependingontotellushowwearegoverned.OfficialSecretsshowsthatspydramasfromreallifeareveryoftennotactionthrillerssuchasBondorBourneorHomeland–orindeedHood’slastmovie,EyeintheSky,from2015–butsomethingmorelikenuclear-levelofficepolitics.Nuclear-levelofficepolitics…RayPanthaki,MatthewGoodeandMattSmithinOfficialSecrets.Photograph:IFCFilms/AllstarItisbasedonthetruecaseofKatharineGun,atranslatorworkingfortheBritishsecurityservicesattheGCHQsurveillanceunitinCheltenham.In2003,shewasastonishedtoreceiveanemailmakingitplainshewasexpectedtofindoutincriminatingpersonaldetailsinthelivesofUNrepresentativesfromsmallcountriessothattheycouldbeblackmailedintovotingforthewarinIraq.Gunprintedouttheemail,andpassedittoananti-warfriend,anditeventuallyformedthebasisofasensationalfront-pagescoopintheObserver.TheObserver’sfrontpageon2March2003.Althoughitdidnotstopthewar,asGundreamedofdoing,itplayedanimportantpartinturningpressandpublicopinion.GunherselfwasprosecutedundertheOfficialSecretsAct.KeiraKnightleygivesafocused,plausibleandsympatheticperformanceasGun,andthefilmshowsthatsheisinmanywaystheclassicwhistleblower.Shehasanidealism,workethicandprofessionalismthatmadeheranexcellentintelligenceoperativeinthefirstplace,andyetitispreciselythesethingsthatmadeherrebel.Mostimportantlyofall,sheisyoung–likeEdwardSnowden,orChelseaManning,orSarahTisdall,jailedin1984forrevealingdetailsaboutAmericancruisemissilesinBritain.GunisstillyoungenoughnottohavemadeanineradicablecareerinvestmentinGCHQorformedloyaltylinkstoitsupperreaches.TheworkinglifeoftheObserverisboisterouslyandaffectionatelyrepresented.RhysIfansplaysrenownedreporterEdVulliamyasapassionatelyangrycriticofthegovernment;MattSmithplaysMartinBright–whowrotetheoriginalstory–andHanakoFootmanplaysyoungjournalistNicoleMowbray,whosechaotic,innocentmistakeintranscribingtheemail,replacingitsAmericanspellingswithBritishones,causedthestorytobeinitiallyrubbishedbyonlineconspiracistsintheUS.ConlethHillplaystheObserver’seditorRogerAltonwho,despitehispro-governmentline,comesoutofthisratherwell.Itishishonestlustforagoodstorythatcauseshimtopublish.Butthesejournalists’livesarebasicallycomfortable.Gun,ontheotherhand,ismarchedintoahair-raisinginquisitionatGCHQ,andthenintoapolicestation,andtheninformedthatshecan’trevealdetailsaboutherworktoherdefendingcounsel,andthenfindsthatherTurkishasylum-seekerhusband,Yasar(AdamBakri),hasbeenmysteriouslyshuffledupthelistforimminentdeportation.ThemostintriguingrelationshipsuggestedbythefilmisthatoftheveteranhumanrightslawyerBenEmmerson(RalphFiennes),whodefendedGun,andhisformercolleague,theone-timeliberalbarristerKenMacDonald(JeremyNortham),whobecamethedirectorofpublicprosecutionsmakingthedecisionwhethertopressthechargeagainstGun,andhoworiftomakeanexampleofher.Whatcanhavebeenthedynamicbetweenthesetwomen?Thefilmdepictsakindofcordialwarinesscurdlingintodetestation.KeiraKnightley:‘IraqwasthefirsttimeI’dbeenpoliticallyengaged’ReadmoreIn2019,wehavearguablymorecomplicatedviewsonleaksandwhistleblowing,nowthatthereputationofJulianAssangehascloudedwhowethinkofastheunderdoghero.ButGun’scaseisextraordinarilyrelevant;itshowsaworldthatinsomewaysfeelslikeyesterdayandinotherwayslikealifetimeago.It’saworldinwhichpeoplestorecomputerfilesonZipdrives,whereayouthful-lookingTonyBlairisinterviewedonTVbyDavidFrostandwheretheestablishmentwasbroadly,ifunhappily,onboardwithsupportingandjoiningtheUSmilitaryadventureinIraq.Thesearepreciselythepeoplewhonowurbanelyacceptthatitwasallwrong.Thechangeofheartdidn’thappennaturally.IthappenedbecauseofpeoplelikeGun,ofwhomthefilmisasharp,pertinentreminder.TopicsOfficialSecretsPeterBradshaw'sfilmoftheweekKeiraKnightleyThrillersDramafilmsGCHQRhysIfansRalphFiennesreviewsReusethiscontentcomments(…)CommentinghasbeendisabledatthistimebutyoucanstillsigninorcreateyourGuardianaccounttojointhediscussionwhenit'sbackcomments(…)CommentinghasbeendisabledatthistimebutyoucanstillsigninorcreateyourGuardianaccounttojointhediscussionwhenit'sbackBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStage