I Bet You Didn't See... Official Secrets
- ibetyoudidnt
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
This is a true story.
It's 2003. The world is still reeling from the devastating events in New York on 11 September 2001. Now America wants to hunt down those responsible. And who can blame them?
GCHQ are running their operations as per usual. Suddenly, a message appears from the Americans to "dig dirt" on certain members of the UN Security Council. It's a little odd, and out of place. A small team within GCHQ aren't too sure about it, but do what they are told to.
That's when it breaks.
The story of the memo hits the papers. It has been passed through people to The Observer and it's been published. What happens next brings the next eight years into aggressive legal dispute.
The film revolves around Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley), the GCHQ employee who leaked the memo. The film follows her life as she is interrogated, helped, harassed, guided, bullied and eventually praised for her actions.
The film, while a great expose on the ease at which powerful governments can twist facts to suit outcomes until they are in a corner they cannot get out of, is very well made. It is paced well, tense throughout and even if you know the story, you are carried through every emotion.
Keira Knightley plays Katharine Gun very well. Down-to-earth, not in the limelight employee who is just doing the right thing. The added pressure of having a husband who is on an immigration visa helps drive her character and story deeper.
Matt Smith, ever charismatic, plays journalist Martin Bright. Passionate and eccentric, the man who broke the story shows his mix of arrogance of being "the man" with appreciating the pressure that Katharine is under and the personal implications of what she has done. Smith does it very well.
Matthew Goode (a personal favourite of mine) and Rhys Ifans are supporting journalists helping to get further information about the story from both America and Iraq. Ifans portrays Ed Vulliamy, an investigative journalist who is almost the comedy relief of the film. Foul-mouthed and aggressive, his scenes break the tension at just the right times. Goode is in the role of Peter Beaumont, a good friend and colleague of Bright, often seen in Iraq while there is the investigations into evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
Finally, Ralph Fiennes is Ben Emmerson, the human rights lawyer who represents and supports Katharine Gun. He plays the part in a way that you can't tell if he likes Katharine or not initially, but by the end you feel he could not only help Katharine but to take down the entire government and carry the world on his shoulders like Atlas, all while cooking you a very nice fish dinner. And his is the final line in the film, delivered with wonderful hatred and distrust that you actual see the desire to punch the other character!
The chemistry between all the actors plays really well, particularly as the cast is split into two. For the majority of the film, Katharine, her husband (passionately played by Adam Bakri) and Emmerson's legal team on one side of the film, Bright and the journalists on the other. Neither side mixes for some time until the very end of the film, where Bright and Gun meet.
It's a nifty little film, playing on a roller coaster of emotions. Hatred, anger, fear, joy and relief among others. The film isn't a tense spy thriller or an over-the-top war film. It's a very human, very emotive and a very powerful story. A good watch all around.
Directed by: Gavin Hood
Based on: “The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War” by Marcia & Thomas Mitchell
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, Adam Bakri, Ralph Fiennes
Release Date: 28 January 2019
Rating: 8/10
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