Shadow Dancer (2012)

89% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
97% want to see it
(33 ratings)

During an aborted bomb attempt in London, Collette falls into the hands of an MI5 officer, Mac, who offers her a deal: turn informant or go to prison. Fearing for her son's welfare, she returns to Belfast where betraying family and beliefs she becomes a reluctant mole for British intelligence. As… More During an aborted bomb attempt in London, Collette falls into the hands of an MI5 officer, Mac, who offers her a deal: turn informant or go to prison. Fearing for her son's welfare, she returns to Belfast where betraying family and beliefs she becomes a reluctant mole for British intelligence. As suspicion of Collette mounts and Mac takes increasing risks to protect her, both feel the net closing in.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: James Marsh
Written By: Tom Bradby
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Critic Reviews

William Goss, Film.com
Riseborough gives a tremendously vulnerable and resolute turn as a protector at home and avenger abroad forced to reconsider the extent to which she is capable of avoiding the crossfire on all sides.
Justin Chang, Variety
The occasional flareup of violence notwithstanding, it's Riseborough's performance that provides the primary source of suspense.
Charlie Lyne, Ultra Culture
Shadow Dancer delights in the refreshingly unpredictable game of cat and mouse that plays out between Owen and Riseborough.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Fatigue, all round, with the inherited burden of sectarian grievance, forms the resonant base note of Marsh's film...
Derek Malcolm, This is London
A film of style and substance.
Ray Greene, Boxoffice Magazine
Noxious, reactionary and unashamedly pro-British to a startling degree.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Distilling a country's worth of tensions down to the dynamics of a single household, Marsh has produced a thriller so taut that it makes last year's masterclass in dread, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, pale in comparison.
Chris Bumbray, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Deliberately paced, but fascinating. Owen and Riseborough are superb.
Damon Wise, Guardian [UK]
An opaque, slow-burning but brilliant thriller about the compulsions of terrorism, one that avoids ideological bombast and looks instead to the experiences of an angry and frightened woman.