Official Secrets

Knightley shines... in a performance that balances conviction and soul baring, and is all the more genuine for its lack of showiness.

Official Secrets celebrates the courage of a government employee who attempted to prevent the invasion at considerable risk to herself and to those she loved.

The script, based on a book by Marcia and Thomas Mitchell, keeps layering in complexity, refusing to go dumb. And Knightley's performance gets steelier as she struggles to overcome her fears

[Knightley's] smart not to play Gun as the noble martyr, but merely as an ordinary, frustrated citizen who makes a split-second decision.

Gavin Hood's Official Secrets isn't a poor film so much as an unremarkable one, and if there is any suspense or stylistic innovation to be wrung from this important story then the director is keeping it under his hat.

Whatever its flaws, Official Secrets reminds us just how seriously the state took its pursuit of Gun, who had nothing to gain and everything to lose by raising the alarm, revealing the teeth behind the smarmy smiles.

Official Secrets fares best in its compelling and often riveting first half...

It’s a phenomenal film, packed with amazing actors, giving equally amazing performances. It tells an important, true story in an easy to watch way.

Official Secrets' unshowy craftmanship is persuasive in its building of suspense.

Confusing vitriol with passion, Official Secrets' ambitions become diluted by unapologetically brash filmmaking.