‘Governments change. I work for the British people…’
As a society we are still reeling from the illegal and terribly damaging conflict in Iraq in the wake of 9/11. Cinema always holds up a mirror to its audience, and a war can often be judged by the war movies it inspires. The senseless brutality of WW1, the shared goals and heroism of WW2, the clusterfuck in Vietnam… so far, the Iraq war has inspired a number of dark and moody character studies that reflect the fact that this incredibly unpopular war (a war that inspired the biggest protest in the history of the UK) caused deep psychological torment for those involved it. Think American Sniper or The Hurt Locker.
Official Secrets isn’t a war film in the traditional sense – there are no soldiers and no fighting – but it is a war adjacent film, and it’s also a searing indictment against the powers that pushed for this war to happen, a war that led to the death and displacement of millions, based on information that they knew to be false. This outrage still has ramifications that we are living with today…
When GCHQ agent Katherine Gun (Keira Knightley) is handed a memo that outlines the possibility that the US and the UK are going to force members of the UN to sanction the illegal war in Iraq, she turns whistleblower, handing this information to Martin Bright (Matt Smith) at the Observer. Despite some initial reticence from his editor Roger (Conleth Hill), the story is eventually printed, leading to a shitstorm of international proportions. Roving reporter Ed Vulliamy (Rhys Ifans) attempts to ratify the story while Katherine Gun lawyers up with Ben Emmerson (Ralph Fiennes) in a bid to avoid jail time for breaching the Official Secrets Act.
Despite that wordy plot synopsis, Gavin Hood’s Official Secrets is neither overly complicated nor cinematically dry. The outstanding cast hold the viewers hand through what could have been a labyrinthine plot ensuring that this morality fable remains captivating and compelling throughout. Keira Knightley is as good as she’s ever been as the ostensibly ‘good’ person trying to stay afloat, but the whole cast excel to produce something that is overtly political without ever feeling preachy. The script, credited to Hood, Sara Bernstein and Gregory Bernstein sticks to the facts. Afterall, sometimes the truth is all you need for a great story, something that was lost on both the British and American governments at the time.
Official Secrets has something for everyone, it’s exciting, funny and informative, and it rightly makes a hero of someone who risked everything for the greater good. An important film.