With an electrifying blend of kinetic punch and elegiac historical sweep, Kleber Mendonça Filho connects life under Brazil’s twentieth-century military dictatorship to the living present, delivering a kaleidoscopic period thriller pulsing with resonance. In 1977, under the alias Marcelo, a man (Wagner Moura) arrives in the city of Recife to try to make a fresh start with his young son. However, the threat of violence immediately encroaches, while around him swirl corrupt cops, grimy hit men, haunted exiles, and a wild urban legend that ignites a public frenzy. Continually spinning off its temporal and narrative axes, The Secret Agent unfurls an epic canvas teeming with life and love for those who refuse to submit to systems of oppression.
For in-depth thoughts on The Secret Agent, please see my colleague Liselotte Vanophem’s review from its original theatrical release here.
For additional insights, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
The Secret Agent arrives on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in an HEVC-encoded transfer from a 4K master approved by director Kleber Mendonça Filho in 2.39:1 in Dolby Vision/HDR courtesy of The Criterion Collection. This release delivers a premium presentation with virtually no imperfections throughout the runtime. This transfer offers a rich and steadfast image quality throughout without any stumbling blocks within the encoding. With the entirety of the 4K UHD disc dedicated to the feature, there is plenty of room for this one to breathe. While subtle, the 4K UHD disc reveals a bit more texture in the design elements when compared to the impressive accompanying Blu-Ray.
Cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova captures some awe-inspiring compositions that really shine on the format. Skin tones look natural with plenty of character, such as age lines and facial hair, coming through with impeccable clarity. Not only do the textural details render crisply, but colors are suffused in a way that matches the aesthetic of the film. Colors notably pop in Dolby Vision when it comes to clothing and certain distinct pieces of production design. There is not even a trace of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances, even in the most dimly lit spaces. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc is the film firing on all cylinders.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that handles everything that is thrown at it with ease. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overwhelmed by the parade of environmental effects or the music. The sound design is just as deliberately deployed as the on-screen visuals, with all of the sounds positioned precisely in the mix. The musical cues and score from Tomaz Alves Souza and Mateus Alves are showcased elegantly here with an immersive use of the surround speakers that maintains the utmost fidelity.
The track is also replete with environmental sounds, both in the outdoor noises, such as the tidal wave of joy that is Carnival, and the ambiance of the various apartments and offices. The environmental effects create a natural soundscape filled with vital flourishes that do a remarkable job of transporting you to this setting. Activity in the low end pops up when it needs to, but it mostly assists in providing additional texture to the world. This is a fabulous audio presentation that brings the movie to life in a really satisfying way. Optional English subtitles are provided.
Special Features
The Criterion 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Secret Agent includes a foldout mock newspaper featuring the essay “Left Out of History” by film programmer and curator Dennis Lim, in which he provides a great amount of insight into and analysis of the film that helps highlight the deeper themes on display, the connections to other works from Kleber Mendonça Filho, and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Pictures of Ghosts (2023): The 93-minute documentary film from Kleber Mendonça Filho is presented in HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. It proves to be a strong companion piece to The Secret Agent. You can find a full review of the film here.
- The Secret Archive: A terrific 42-minute documentary featuring interviews with members of the cast and the creative team. Through candid moments on set and talking head interviews after the fact, we get a sense of how individuals came to the project, the direction of Filho, the atmosphere on set, how they accomplished certain moments, and more.
- Memory & Time: A new 16-minute visual essay featuring insights from Kleber Mendonça Filho and Wagner Moura that delve into the excavation of memory to inform the events of The Secret Agent, the filming and sound mixing of Carnival, how the film was developed for working on Pictures of Ghosts, and more.
- Image & Sound
- Evgenia Alexandrova: A 17-minute interview in which the cinematographer discusses first working with Kleber Mendonça Filho, how he responded to her use of color, how they planned to capture certain moments, drawing from tactics from the ‘70s, movies that inspired them, and more.
- Cyril Holtz: A 17-minute audio interview with the sound mixer in which he discusses his relationship with Kleber Mendonça Filho, mixing the noises of the Carnival sequence, ensuring the sounds follow the emotions, and more.
- Stills To Movement: A 15-minute piece in which Kleber Mendonça Filho provides an overview of various photographs and how they inspired elements of The Secret Agent.
- Deleted Scenes: Four scenes of unused material totaling ten minutes are provided here.
- Trailer (1:47)
Final Thoughts
The Secret Agent is a sprawling political memory that nimbly bends and surprises within the narrative to create a truly unique work of art. Kleber Mendonça Filho has channeled the love he has for his country and the contempt he has for its history into something incendiary and timeless. Wagner Moura gives one of the best performances we have seen in some time alongside an extremely talented ensemble of beloved character actors and non-professionals. This is one of the great films to come out of the past few years. The Criterion Collection has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a fantastic A/V presentation and a rich array of special features that are not to be missed. Highly Recommended
The Criterion Collection edition of The Secret Agent is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
