Rogue Agent

I went in to this with low expectations, for no other reason than struggling to find something that looked decent to while away a Friday night.

How pleasantly surprised I was with the way it turned out. The story is engaging and difficult to watch in equal measure. Norton is brilliant as the protagonist, while Arterton is believable as the victim who realises she's been had. Rather than thinking the other victims are just stupid for being sucked in, you realise how understandable it could be.

Credit to the director. This is a worryingly realistic portrayal and kept me engaged for the 2 hour runtime.

Despite the negative reviews I thought I would give this a viewing. I'm glad I did as I enjoyed it. The first half hour or so was a bit slow but once the story gets going the film really drew me in to wanting to watch it to the conclusion. I thought the acting was excellent particularly by the two leading actors. The story is based on a true life event and I think there is a lesson here for everybody, be careful who you trust!

Interesting story about conman Robert Freegard, well played by James Norton.

Handsome and amiable, Freegard is able to convince people he is a secret agent for MI6, isolate them, take their money, and take off.

A slow-moving but disturbing psychological study, realizing this is a true story, Freegard's hold over these people is horrifying and thought-provoking. How the character of Rose lived in the street basically waiting to get into a new spy program - watching it was shattering.

All the performances were good if underplayed. At the time of the film, Freegard had been released from prison, his life sentence amended, and was still swindling people. He has since been caught again.

My biggest complaint is not with the film but the law - if indeed the definition of kidnapping includes persuasion using fraud to leave one's family, how was this overturned later?

Norton is perfect and evil, about as far from Grantchester here as you can get. Always with a fake smile.

Fascinating movie with top cast. Very engrossing and emotive given the way likeable characters are manipulated and subject to disturbing treatment at the hands of a psychopath.

This is very topical given nudge and psychological techniques were openly used on the population recently. The ethics of this need to be closely examined and this movie helps shed light on what is possible when trust is given to a third party who abuses for their own purpose.

High recommended. 7/10.

Going off the title, which of course is never wise, I heard agent and expected this to be some sort of action thriller. However, this was actually an interesting psychological thriller!! It was dull in parts but that is likely because I was expecting to be building up to cheap thrills and action. Instead, this was a very interesting mix of psychological profiles, how the human mind works, emotional manipulation and even a mirror on society in terms working life, student life, student debt and how the trajectory of our lives can impact our ultimate dreams and ambitions, and make us settle. This film is far from perfect and there are some parts I found unrealistic, so don't expect a classic, but it is an interesting watch.