--- title: "Official Secrets" year: 2019 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/official-secrets" fi1m_score: 65 critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 23 published: "2026-09-18T08:55:15.776543+00:00" updated: "2026-09-18T08:55:35.630057+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Official Secrets (2019) Directed by Gavin Hood · 1h 52m · MPA R · Thriller, History, Drama **Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 64 from 23 reviews *In a sentence:* A spy thriller in which the deadliest weapon is an office printer and the villain is a spellchecker > Gavin Hood tells Katharine Gun’s story straight, with a clear head and a fine, contained Keira Knightley. It is worth an evening for that, though the film keeps handing her story to other people and never quite gets it back. ## Synopsis Cheltenham, early 2003. Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley), a Mandarin translator at GCHQ, watches Tony Blair on television making the case for war in Iraq and does not believe him. Then an email arrives from the American National Security Agency asking GCHQ staff to gather anything that might be used to lean on wavering members of the UN Security Council before the vote. She prints it, takes it home past her husband Yasar Gun (Adam Bakri), and gives it to an anti-war friend, Jasmine (MyAnna Buring). It finds its way to Martin Bright (Matt Smith) at the Observer, who has weeks to prove it real to a sceptical editor, Roger Alton (Conleth Hill), with help from Peter Beaumont (Matthew Goode) and, in Washington, Ed Vulliamy (Rhys Ifans), before the war begins. ## Review In early 2003, a translator at GCHQ in Cheltenham reads an email from the American National Security Agency asking British spies to dig for anything that might lean on the wavering members of the UN Security Council before the vote on Iraq. She prints it, takes it home and sends it out. Gavin Hood’s film about Katharine Gun is a plain, decent, well-acted account of what happened next, and for most of its length it is watchable. It is seldom more than that, and the reason is not the cast. Keira Knightley plays Gun small. She has taken the vowels down, kept her shoulders still, and given the woman a habit of looking at the floor before she says something she cannot take back. It works. The scene in which she stands at the office printer while the memo comes out one sheet at a time, and a colleague wanders over to chat, is the best thing in the film, and we felt it in the stomach: nothing happens, and we wanted to shout at her to pick up the paper. Adam Bakri, as her husband Yasar, is warm and bewildered and asked to be nothing else. Then the memo reaches the Observer and the film changes hands. Matt Smith’s Martin Bright is a reporter who cannot believe his luck and cannot get anyone to share it. Conleth Hill’s Roger Alton, the editor, has backed the war and would rather not be told he was wrong; Matthew Goode’s Peter Beaumont wants to believe the document and knows the cost of being fooled. Rhys Ifans, as Ed Vulliamy, phones in from Washington with a source and a hangover, enjoying himself more than anyone else on screen. This is the liveliest stretch, and the business of a subeditor who runs the memo through a spellchecker and turns the American spellings British, handing Washington a reason to call it a fake, is the kind of small true stupidity that makes history bearable. We laughed, then winced. The second half belongs to Ralph Fiennes, as the barrister Ben Emmerson, who takes the case for Liberty in a tone of mild irritation with everyone and gives the film a spine. Indira Varma’s Shami Chakrabarti and John Heffernan’s James Welch get a few good lines and a great deal of standing behind him. The legal stretch holds the film’s most interesting question, whether a government that lied to start a war can try the person who said so, and it is the part told in the greatest hurry. Megan Gill’s cutting is patient in Cheltenham and brisk at the Observer; once the lawyers arrive it turns anxious, as if the film has looked at its watch. Florian Hoffmeister shoots GCHQ as a grey, low-ceilinged open-plan office under strip light, and Simon Rogers has designed it to look like a building society, which is accurate and dull. The Observer is brown and cluttered and lit by desk lamps, and the picture wakes up whenever we go back there. Claire Finlay-Thompson puts Knightley in fleeces and flat shoes and the newsroom in shirts that have been slept in. Paul Hepker and Mark Kilian’s score is a low, worried pulse that keeps out of the way until the courthouse, where it decides to help. Hood also cuts in the real television footage of Blair, Bush and Colin Powell, which is a cheap way of getting anger into a room. It works. We were angry. Hood made *Tsotsi* (2005) and *Eye in the Sky* (2015), which put its whole argument about modern war into one room and one decision and was the better for it. *Official Secrets* has three rooms and a dozen decisions, and Gun is in only one of them. For long stretches she is at home waiting for a telephone to ring while men in offices decide what her act meant. That is, to be fair, what happened. It is also a problem the script, by Gregory Bernstein, Sara Bernstein and Hood, never solves: the film admires her enormously and keeps forgetting to look at her. Most critics have landed roughly where we have, and the disagreement is over whether sturdy and honest are enough. On a weeknight, with someone who remembers 2003, they are; the film will start an argument and give it facts. It carries a 15 certificate and runs 112 minutes, a fair number of them spent waiting for telephones. *Fi1m score 65, published 18 September 2026.* ### Reviews we read (23) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (80/100, inferred): A crackling political thriller that effectively dramatizes a principled stand against the Iraq War with brisk pacing and strong performances. It singles out Keira Knightley's portrayal of a moral exemplar for particular praise. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-08-27/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley) - **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): Hood’s follow-up to Eye in the Sky is a pacy, palm-clammying mix of tense spy thriller and journo procedural that examines moral corruption at the highest level without restoring trust in the powers that be. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/official-secrets) - **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The Brits do low-key, paranoid procedural dramas like this one well, with a pervading chill and no flash. Hood frames the story to suggest constant surveillance, and the crispness cuts like a knife while highlighting a conscience in torment. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/official-secrets-movie-review.html) - **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (75/100, inferred): Director Gavin Hood cranks the tension in this real-life chronicle of courage about Katharine Gun's leak. The film serves as a valuable dark reminder of how the journey to the present political mood accelerated wildly in 2003. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/0ddd0492-f020-11e9-ad1e-4367d8281195) - **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): A sturdy, entertaining political thriller that pushes all the right buttons, with Knightley persuasive as the whistleblower Gun and Hood mixing thrills with political commentary effectively despite familiar journalistic drama tropes. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/official-secrets-sundance-review/5136275.article) - **Sight and Sound**, Matthew Taylor (70/100, inferred): The film is a solid, spiralling spy procedural elevated by Knightley’s ascetic, intensely focused performance as Katharine Gun, which serves as its true north amid the procedural threads and state apparatus chill. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-shoulders-true-life-iraq-war-whistleblowing-thriller) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (B-): The film recounts Gun’s story in a dry, procedural synopsis that rarely deviates from the standard whistleblower template and settles for didactic point-scoring. It shines a light on a nearly forgotten Iraq War whistleblower whose conscience stands as a pointed reminder. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/official-secrets-shines-a-light-on-a-nearly-forgotten-i-1837611151) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (70/100, inferred): Knightley gives a focused, plausible and sympathetic performance as the whistleblower Katharine Gun in this shrewd and relevant spy drama. The film highlights the British establishment's tendency to spite under pressure and the importance of young, vulnerable people speaking out against government actions. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/18/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-whistleblower) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (70/100, inferred): Hood and his cast deliver a straightforward, solidly old-fashioned slice of real-life espionage and intrigue that gets the job done in engrossing, clear-eyed fashion even if it lacks much stylistic verve. The film is a dutiful reminder of a shameful episode in recent history. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/official-secrets-sundance-2019-1180558/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): The film opts for unadorned journalistic clarity over cinematic clichés in telling the true story of Katharine Gun. Knightley delivers a power-player performance that holds the show together with minimalism and emotional depth. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/official-secrets-review-tell-you-a-secret-keira-knightley-is-terrific-0wt6ztgvs) - **Variety**, Amy Nicholson (70/100, inferred): A staid but honorable and ennobling account of a whistleblower's failed attempt to avert the Iraq War. It singles out the genteel institutional critique and the defense lawyer's courtroom strategy for attention. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/official-secrets-review-1203121969/) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (65/100, inferred): The film is an entertaining slice of recent history celebrating an unsung British hero, anchored by a strong Keira Knightley performance, but let down by a simplistic take on its complex subject matter. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/official-secrets/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (55/100, inferred): The film is a coherent but uneven retelling of Katharine Gun's whistleblowing that struggles to generate excitement or depth. It singles out the office printer scene and journalistic portrayals for note while criticizing flat suspense and underdeveloped characters. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/movies/official-secrets-review.html) - **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (35/100, inferred): The story is important with good casting, but the film lacks action, visual excitement and suspense, remaining too diligently true to life and earnest to take off as drama. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/official-secrets-film-review-no-drama-a4264836.html) - **IndieWire**, Jude Dry (30/100, inferred): Knightley risks treason in a sober real-life Iraq War drama, but Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Matthew Goode fill out this inert drama about a whistleblower who leaked a top secret NSA memo. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-1202169997/) - **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (30/100, inferred): Hood’s film is a muckraking thriller that revels in wonderfully lived-in details as well as generic biopic platitudes and wrings suspense out of the parsing of evidence. It is ambitious but prone to melodrama that reduces the protagonist to a supporting character in her own story. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-official-secrets-is-an-ambitious-muckraking-thriller-prone-to-melodrama/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): The film is a pulse-pounding true drama and the most gripping thriller of 2019, with Hood turning the story into a white-knuckle thriller. It singles out Keira Knightley's never-better performance as the whistleblower with a conscience. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-whistleblower-movie/) - **Eye for Film**, Jeremy Mathews (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's refreshing straight-forwardness and focus on Katharine Gun's decision and its consequences, praising Knightley's quiet conviction and the inspirational portrayal of people working together for the right thing. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/official-secrets-2019-film-review-by-jeremy-mathews) - **Den of Geek**, Caroline Preece (3 out of 5): The critic finds it a solid but muted retelling of the whistleblower story, praising Keira Knightley's captivating performance as Katharine Gun but noting the film doesn't quite match her intensity, excelling more in its newsroom drama sections. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/official-secrets-review-muted-spy-story-boasts-great-keira-knightley-turn/) - **Film Stories**, Katie Smith-Wong (60/100, inferred): The critic praises Keira Knightley's mature and compelling performance as Katharine Gun but criticizes the film's uneven tone and lack of punch, calling it a safe retelling of the scandal. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-stars-in-telling-of-true-story/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (C): The critic finds the film a dry, unremarkable chronicle that fails to capture emotional depth or focus on the protagonist's story effectively. They praise the subject's courage but criticize the direction for making it inert and Wikipedia-like. [Read](https://collider.com/official-secrets-review/) - **The Playlist**, Jordan Ruimy (C-): The critic finds the film pedestrian and uninspired with dull direction that fails to focus on the heroine or convey impact, despite a strong performance from Knightley, resulting in a failed attempt at the story. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/official-secrets-keira-knightey-review-20190131/) - **The Wrap** (50/100, inferred): The film is high-minded and sturdy but never as galvanizing as it should be, serving as an efficiently told primer on ordinary bravery. It singles out the fascinating second-half legal peril and defense machinations for praise amid mixed results for the journalism and thriller elements. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/official-secrets-film-review-keira-knightley-matt-smith/) ## Details - **Director:** Gavin Hood - **Director:** Gavin Hood - **Screenplay:** Gavin Hood, Sara Bernstein, Gregory Bernstein - **Cinematography:** Florian Hoffmeister - **Editor:** Megan Gill - **Music:** Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker - **Production design:** Simon Rogers - **Costume design:** Claire Finlay-Thompson - **Producer:** Elizabeth Fowler, Melissa Shiyu Zuo, Ged Doherty - **Cast:** Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun; Matt Smith as Martin Bright; Ralph Fiennes as Ben Emmerson; Adam Bakri as Yasar Gun; Matthew Goode as Peter Beaumont; Rhys Ifans as Ed Vulliamy; Indira Varma as Shami Chakrabarti; John Heffernan as James Welch - **Runtime:** 1h 52m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 30 August 2019 - **Genres:** Thriller, History, Drama - **Box office:** $10 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t64H3S7r4wo ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming, leaving 2026-10-01 - AMC+: streaming - The Roku Channel: free, hd - Apple TV: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-18.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NO, NZ, PA, PL, PT, SE, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Defence of the Realm* (1986): Gabriel Byrne’s Fleet Street hack discovers the British state lies better than he does - *The Insider* (1999), Fi1m 89: Michael Mann makes a tobacco leak feel like a war; Pacino and Crowe sweat properly — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-insider.md) - *Z* (1969): Costa-Gavras on a state cover-up, cut like a heist and twice as angry - *Eye in the Sky* (2015): Hood’s tighter war film: one room, one decision, and Helen Mirren refusing to blink - *Citizenfour* (2014), Fi1m 83: The Snowden leak as it happened, in a Hong Kong hotel room, with real dread — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/citizenfour.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/official-secrets