Rogue Agent

In Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn’s diligently crafted British caper “Rogue Agent,” the lines between a rakish spy and a dashing lover are blurred in the figure of Robert Freegard.

"Perhaps the prurient unravelings of Freegard’s greatest hits is best left to the nonfiction projects, but even with the liberties of narrative adaptation, Lawn and Patterson leave the psychological and emotional depths of this story unexplored."

There was not enough story here to make a real movie.

The true-crime tale, anchored by Norton and Arterton, is both classy and chilling on the windy road to the fiend’s comeuppance.

Norton is excellent at positing, with glances and unusual reactions, a rather desperate inner life for his character.

Plenty fascinated by the abridged version of this saga — bad men are out there — but you’ll wish for that darker, less cleanly shaped telling the more you think about its scarier contours.

While one cannot deny the simple joys of watching two actors as nimble and attractive as Arterton and Norton play cat and mouse, Rogue Agent never quite lives up to its extraordinary premise.

Although the film paints Freegard as a rather one-dimensional villain, the screenplay provides enough procedural surprises to maintain the suspense.

This true story of a fraudster's been fictionalized into a victim-turned-avenger feminist triumph. It works due to the anti-chemistry of its two leads.

James Norton & Gemma Arterton are the reason to see this, the movie plays more like a drama than a spy thriller it's made out to be. I always enjoy seeing Norton on screen and it’s especially gratifying to see him explore his dark side.