A Call to Spy

Another puzzle under all the second war movies that completes the resistance machinery agains the German Gestapo.

Some British women took important functions to spy out the Nazis in France. It is well done with atmosphere and costumes. If you are Interested in this genre check it out. It was never boring and the actors played their roles very good. Solid 6/10.

This excellent film is based in substantial part upon the book A Woman of No Importance , a biography of Virginia Hall. She was an American ex-pat who spoke fluent French and had lived in France, Turkey and Italy in the run upwto WW2. From a well to do Baltimore family she had tried to attain a diplomatic position for America to no avail during this time which was according to the book and hardly to be doubted due to the fact that she was female and disabled. She had a hunting accident in the 1930s where she shot herself in the foot and lost part of a leg below the knee and had. prosthesis. Fast forward, volunteering being recruited by and joining the newly created British Special Operations Executive(SOE) she was instrumental in developing a part of the very nascent French resistance movement in 1941-1942 and then doing the same just before or after DDay when she went back to France. I do not want to spoil the story which is incredible. Read the book which I thought was inspiring first, then watch the movie. The movie also covers the story of Vera Atkins, and there's a biography of her, as well as Noor a female spy. Parenthetically for me, the story of these three women, and there were many, who risked everything when everything was at stake is refreshing. Why? Because what they did and their courage when they were up against it, makes the current nonsense of American nonsense pale in comparison. Get out and vote and kudos to those on the front lines fighting it out for justce now. These women are an inspiration to that. Search out Marta Gellhorn's interview on you tube. She told it like it was, and like it is.

The main reason for seeing 'A Call to Spy' was the subject matter, a powerful one made up of the true stories of three inspirational but somewhat overlooked women who worked as spies in the second world war. Being someone who has a thing for promising concepts and bold subject matters. Also like historical dramas, films inspired by or based on true stories and anything centered around spies also intrigues. Not to mention the cast.

'A Call to Spy' was a solid and laudable effort in making the women and their stories known in cinematic terms. It doesn't quite succeed in every area and the women's stories were more powerful than the one that is presented here, but there was also a lot to like about it and it was hard to not admire its good intentions. There was a great film somewhere in 'A Call to Spy', a great one that doesn't quite materialise but has elements of greatness in individual components, but to me it was not a waste of potential.

Like has been said above, 'A Call to Spy' has a lot of good. The best thing about it is the acting, the standout being the committed, determined and heartfelt performance from Sarah Megan Thomas. Stana Katic is a forceful presence too and the chemistry between the two is done with a lot of sincerity and respect. Linus Roache and Radhika Apte bring a lot of dignity to their roles. The rest of the cast are fine, with the enemy being portrayed as genuinely sinister and the film doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of what they did.

It is a good looking film, handsomely and atmospherically shot with a good eye for period detail that doesn't look too clean, the French scenes looking suitably uncompromising. The music has a nice mix of emotions and isn't overused or over-emphasised. The film is directed with a lot of committment and heart, it is easy to tell that the subject meant a lot to the director and all involved. The scripting on the whole is thoughtful and well intended, while the story has enough tension and poignancy (though there could have been more of the former).

Didn't think the storytelling or the film were perfectly executed though. There are too many cliched supporting characters and most of them are given too much short shrift. Khan is rather underdeveloped which is a far cry from the meaty character writing of Hall and Atkins and her fate was actually even more harrowing than presented in the film.

Some of the French dialogue is stilted and there are lulls in pacing where the action is a little too over-deliberate and relies too much on talk. Particularly early on.

Overall, solid effort. 7/10.

The BBC, in their wisdom, covered this same topic as a series (1987-1990) called Wish Me Luck - a very well-made drama centered on the work done by civilian volunteers for the SOE in WWII France. I watched it on Amazon a year or so back but it is now currently unavailable to stream. If it ever does come back, watch it perhaps in conjunction with this movie and the other movie people have mentioned in their reviews (Female Agents) which I have yet to see.

Enjoyable, based on a true story, film about some amazingly brave and little known WWII heroes...women spies. The acting, although not Oscar worthy, was decent by most. The pace was a bit slow and the editing could have been better, which would have upped the tension a bit, but the film was interesting, informative, and entertaining. (no language or nudity) This underrated, lesser known film held our attention throughout and is worth the watch, IMHO! 6.5 stars - June 2021.