Secretos de Estado

This film is a true story and shows why we must never accept the spin that Presidents and Prime Ministers tell us to justify their actions. In 2019 we need to be more careful what we believe what our governments tell us.

This film is based on a true story of a woman working for the British government who leaked a document to the press so that the Iraqui war might not happen. In case you've forgotten, that war was started under the false premise that Iraq had "weapons of mass destruction" and they were planning to use them with anti-western forces top launch attacks. Both allegations were blatant lies, trumped up by the Bush administration, but at the time, many people believed them and in fact, the US and the Brits went to war with hundreds of thousands of casualties.

The film is slow paced but the acting is excellent, especially from Ralph Fiennes who seems to utterly disappear into his roles. It's a case study of someone being willing to stand up for what she believes regardless of the consequences. There are precious few people like this, so every film that chronicles their struggle deserves to be seen.

Official Secrets studies the events that are happening in intelligence during the run up to the second gulf war. Having lived through the times myself was aware of the background to the movie, but unaware of the specific story that it explores.

Keira Knightly plays Katharine Gun who works at GCHQ collecting intelligence for the UK. She is concerned about the accuracy of the intelligence that is being used to prove the case for war. The British and American government need a resolution passing at the United Nations to legitimize the war. A memo is distributed to collect intelligence on the United Nations members that can be used to coax them into voting for the resolution. She is shocked by this and wants to stop the war.

In the same way that Brexit dominates British news at the moment WMD's dominated the next back then. The movie is good and shows the pressure that everybody is under. You get the chance to wonder whether you would make the same decisions as Katharine and whether she was right to do it.

I've never been a big fan of Knightly, but she does a fine job in Official Secrets. Well worth a watch.

Official Secrets is a very well done and very important political thriller, it won the best Foreign Film Award at the Traverse City Film Festival that I attended, so that goes to prove that it has a lasting effect, and I agree. So if you're willing to believe in what the story is telling you, it has great performances and twists and turns throughout, it'll have you cheering for the protagonists and utterly booing the antagonists, if you're in the mood for a good solid political thriller I recommend Official Secrets.

The true life story of a woman who put the truth before career and personal life. The true life story of Katharine Gun, the brave young woman who leaked a document, telling us exactly what was happening in Iraq.

It's a terrific film, it focuses on a story which for many is still hard to swallow. It's such an exciting movie, crammed with tension, as a political story you may expect it to be slow, it isn't.

The performances are superb, Kiera Knightley is fantastic as Katharine, Ralph Fiennes and Matt Smith are also on point.

IMDb is a platform for reviewing films and shows, it's a terrific site, and not the place for my political views. I'll just leave this, this is the first time I've not switched off something featuring Tony Blair.

Great film, 8/10.