In this lifeless adaptation of Joseph Conrad's thriller (which Hitchcock made as Sabotage) Bob Hoskins plays a storekeeper/Russian spy who is sent to plant a bomb in Greenwich. Subdued and incognito Robin Williams as a bomb expert helps Hoskins until bad things happen to bad scripts and kaboom!, somebody dies. Patricia Arquette plays Hoskins' hapless wife with such ill-fated doom, all I could do was smile and nod when she told her brother, "Things don't stand much lookin' into." Neither does this movie, and why it was made remains a secret to me. Not recommended. (N. Plympton)[DVD Review--May 17, 2005--Fox, 96 min., R, $9.98--Making its first appearance on DVD, 1996's The Secret Agent--presented with both widescreen and full screen versions--sports a so-so transfer with noticeable artifacts occurring throughout the film, Dolby Digital surround, and no extras beyond a trailer. Bottom line: a disappointing DVD release of a disappointing film.]
The Secret Agent
(Fox Video, 95 min., R, avail. Apr. 8) Vol. 12, Issue 2
The Secret Agent
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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