Wagner Moura is compelling in this neo-noir political drama from Brazil

Last Updated on January 9, 2026

Plot: Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.

Review: One of the most acclaimed films coming out of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, The Secret Agent shot onto mainstream radar when it garnered Golden Globe nominations for Best International Film as well as Best Picture of the Year. A drama set during the tumultuous dictatorship that controlled Brazil from 1964 through 1985, The Secret Agent is a sprawling drama from director Kleber Mendonça Filho that draws inspiration from the films of Brian De Palma, John Boorman, and Steven Spielberg. Featuring hallmarks of the noir drama and grindhouse thrillers, The Secret Agent boasts another fantastic lead performance from Wagner Moura, which proves he is one of the most underutilized actors working today. Clocking in at two and a half hours, The Secret Agent is a substantial movie that may not appeal to everyone, but is absolutely worth investing time in.

While most of us in the Northern Hemisphere are familiar with the major cities of Brazil, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo, The Secret Agent is set in Recife on the Northeastern coast of the country. The film opens with Armando (Wagner Moura), a professor hiding from a corrupt official named Ghirotti (Luciano Chirolli). Armando is returning to Recife to reunite with his son, Fernando, who is staying with Armando’s in-laws. As we follow Armando, we learn that there are assassins hired to kill him, as he also attempts to learn more about the identity of his mother. This all occurs as we meet refugees hiding from the dictatorial regime and duplicitous authorities around the country. The film also shifts back to how Armando crossed Ghirotti, as well as moving from 1977 to the present day, with Moura also portraying Armando’s adult son, Fernando.

The Secret Agent is a deliberately paced thriller that builds tension through the mounting threat of violence in Recife. In the peak summer heat, the town is dealing with a tiger shark attack that echoes the release of Jaws during the same season. Movies play a thematic role in The Secret Agent, with another sequence set during a screening of Richard Donner’s The Omen. The visual style of The Secret Agent echoes the films of Spielberg and others, featuring retro screen wipes and dissolves, as well as multiple musical cues of classic songs, accompanied by a horn-heavy score from Tomas Alves Souza and Mateus Alves. You can almost feel the heat of South America coming through the screen as the story unfolds, giving us a glimpse of Armando hiding from his pursuers while also trying to learn about his past. The movie spends a considerable amount of time on dialogue-heavy sequences until an intense pursuit scene in the final half hour ramps up the intensity.

Wagner Moura is the most recognizable actor to most audiences outside of Brazil. The Secret Agent marks the actor’s first Portuguese-language role in almost a decade, and he offers an incredible performance. Playing Armando in hiding as Marcelo, as well as himself in flashbacks, Moura lends his character quiet dignity as he pursues justice. This is a character whose journey is fraught with the risk of death, providing us with a glimpse into the ever-present danger posed by Brazil’s government at the time. There is a lot of hope in the eyes of the actors playing the various refugees whom Armando befriends. However, at the center of this film is Armando’s attempt to reunite with his son and move on with his life, as well as a look at those pursuing him. Bobbi (Gabriel Leone) and Augusto (Roney Villela) are the hitmen following Armando, and they connect with Recife’s corrupt sheriff, Euclides (Roberio Diogenes), who shows us how the power structure controls those without any. In his final film role, the late Udo Kier has a small scene portraying a Holocaust survivor, which serves as a touching tribute to the actor’s long career and a poignant glimpse into the country in 1977.

Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent is the director’s fourth and most ambitious film. Treading similar territory to last year’s acclaimed I’m Still Here, also set during the same dictatorial regime, Filho pulls together multiple homages to films that have inspired him. Using a 1970s aesthetic and a non-linear story structure, The Secret Agent features a visual palette that is messy and unrefined, yet still vibrant, whether in a dingy office building, a remote gas station, or a conference room full of cigarette smoke. At 158 minutes, The Secret Agent is a long film that takes its time developing the world of 1977 Brazil. Long, lingering shots and abrupt cuts give the film a feel that it could have been produced in the era in which it is set. Cinephiles will appreciate the meaty homages to classic filmmakers, while general audiences may find themselves a bit distracted. The Secret Agent is definitely not a casual film experience.

Wagner Moura’s gripping performance is more than enough reason to watch The Secret Agent. However, the film boasts a wealth of masterful direction that more than earns director Kleber Mendonça Filho the acclaim he has been receiving. This is a movie about a specific period in Brazilian history that comes alive on screen in pulsating heat, further defined by Moura’s multi-layered approach to his roles. While it could have shaved about thirty minutes off its running time and still been very effective, The Secret Agent remains an impressive and engaging film about a complex era told in a complex manner. At times abrupt and uneven, The Secret Agent echoes the best political thriller films of the 1970s while doing so through the lens of modern movie-making.

The Secret Agent is now playing in theaters.

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