Nas Garras da Lei

Saw 'Special Agent' for two main reasons. One is my high appreciation for Bette Davis, considered an acting legend, well more like a legend in any field, for good reason. Her performances in the likes of 'All About Eve' (iconic), 'Now Voyager' and 'The Letter' are evidence of that. Also love the genre it fits under, many good to classic films in the genre, and when it is done right (many cases of that being the case, but others have fallen into the potential traps) melodrama can be great.

Found 'Special Agent' to be a well done film on the whole. It may not fit my definition of a "special" film and may not be in the extraordinary category. Not everything works, the story could have been better or at least consistently executed. A vast majority of elements do work though, and generally wonderfully. A lot of good things here in 'Special Agent', namely the lighting and the acting, and it is just good fun. As long as not too much is expected, many should enjoy it.

Will start with what doesn't quite work, and actually it isn't a lot and is more mixed feelings than anything disastrously done. While always compelling and well paced, the story can be far-fetched and at times a touch over-complicated. The final third is not always easy to swallow.

Davis does very well in her role and admired that she tried to break away from her relative type-casting at the time, but can see where another commentator is coming from in their feelings of her sophisticated image not always fitting with the film's atmosphere.

The cast do a great job, with George Brent a charming male lead and Robert Strange and J. Carroll Naish imposing enough but the best performance comes from Ricardo Cortez on absolutely chilling form. 'Special Agent' is always confidently directed, while the story is generally fun and atmospheric without being overwrought and it is never dull.

It is a very well made film, with the visual standout being the lighting which is genuinely eerie. It has been said that the lighting makes Cortez scarier than he already is and personally cannot disagree. The dialogue is taut and sophisticated with the odd amusing part too, never feeling over-melodramatic or talky. Nicely scored too.

Overall, good fun. 7/10