{{see also|Official Secrets (Yes, Prime Minister)|Official Secrets Act}} {{Use British English|date=June 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox film |name = Official Secrets |image = Official Secrets poster.jpg |caption = Theatrical release poster |director = Gavin Hood |producer = {{Plainlist| *Ged Doherty *Elizabeth Fowler *Melissa Shiyu Zuo }} |screenplay = {{Plainlist| *Gregory Bernstein *Sara Bernstein *Gavin Hood }} |based_on = {{Based on|''The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War''|Marcia & Thomas Mitchell}} |starring = {{Plainlist| *Keira Knightley *Matt Smith *Matthew Goode *Rhys Ifans *Adam Bakri *Ralph Fiennes }}<!--PER POSTER BILLING BLOCK--> |music = {{Plainlist| *Paul Hepker *Mark Kilian }} |cinematography = Florian Hoffmeister |editing = Megan Gill |studio = {{Plainlist| *Clear Pictures Entertainment *Raindog Films *The Gordon Company *Ingenious Media *Screen Yorkshire }} |distributor = {{Plainlist| *Entertainment One (United Kingdom) *IFC Films (United States) }} |released = {{Film date|df=y|2019|1|28|Sundance|2019|8|30|United States|2019|10|18|United Kingdom}} |runtime = 112 minutes |country = {{Plainlist| *United Kingdom *United States }} |language = English |gross = $10.1 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1980466689/|title=Official Secrets|website=Box Office Mojo|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Official-Secrets-(UK)-(2019)#tab=summary|title=Official Secrets|website=The Numbers|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> }}
'''''Official Secrets''''' is a 2019 British drama film directed by Gavin Hood, based on the case of whistleblower Katharine Gun, who exposed an illegal spying operation by American and British intelligence services to gauge sentiment of and potentially blackmail United Nations diplomats tasked to vote on a resolution regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq.<ref>{{cite news|last=Koza|first=Frank|title=US plan to bug Security Council: the text|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/02/iraq.unitednations1|work=The Guardian|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-GCHQ officer 'preventing war'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3243266.stm|accessdate=30 June 2021|publisher=BBC News|date=27 November 2003}}</ref> Keira Knightley stars as Gun, alongside Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Adam Bakri, Indira Varma and Ralph Fiennes.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 28 January 2019 and was released in the United States on 30 August 2019, by IFC Films, and in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2019, by Entertainment One.
==Plot== In early 2003, GCHQ analyst Katharine Gun obtains a memo detailing a joint United States and British operation to spy on diplomats from several non–permanent United Nations Security Council member states (Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria and Guinea), to "dig dirt" on them. This was to influence the Security Council into passing a resolution supporting an invasion of Iraq.
Angered that the UK is being led into a war on false pretences, Katharine leaks the memo to a friend involved in the anti-war movement, who passes it to anti-war activist Yvonne Ridley. She gets it to ''The Observer'' journalist Martin Bright.
''The Observer'' foreign editor Peter Beaumont allows Martin to investigate the story. To verify the memo's authenticity, Martin enlists the help of the ''Observer''{{'}}s Washington correspondent Ed Vulliamy to contact the memo's author Frank Koza, Chief of Staff at the "regional targets" section of the NSA. Despite the ''Observer''{{'s}} pro-war stance, Peter convinces the chief editor Roger Alton that the leaked memo is worth publishing.
The leaked memo's publication in March 2003 generates public and media interest. The Drudge Report attempts to discredit the document as a fake, as staffer Nicole Mowbray had inadvertently changed the text from American to British English with a spellchecker. However, Martin is able to produce the original memo, confirming its authenticity.
Katharine's actions prompt GCHQ to launch an internal investigation. Seeking to prevent an invasion of Iraq and to protect her colleagues from suspicion, Katharine confesses to the leak. She is arrested, questioned, then released on bail.
Following the outbreak of the Iraq War, Katharine seeks the services of the Liberty lawyers Ben Emmerson and Shami Chakrabarti. The British Government decides to charge her with violating the Official Secrets Act, tasking the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, with the prosecution.
To exert pressure, the British authorities attempt to deport her husband Yasar Gun, a Turkish Kurd. However, Katharine is able to halt the deportation with the help of her MP, Nigel Jones.
Katharine's defence strategy is that she acted from loyalty to her country, seeking to prevent it from being led into an unlawful war. With the help of Martin, Ed, and former Foreign Office deputy legal adviser Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Ben discovers that the Attorney General Peter Goldsmith changed his position on the legality of the war after meeting lawyers from the Bush Administration. Despite the odds against her, Katharine refuses to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced charge.
In court, the Crown prosecutor offers no evidence against Katharine. Ben responds that this is because doing so would have shown that the Blair government led the UK into war on false pretences.
The film then mentions the human toll of the Iraq War and that Lord Goldsmith's advice on the illegality of the Iraq War was made public in 2010. It ends with footage of the real Katharine addressing the media following the dismissal of her case, and Ben shunning Ken for putting Katharine through the ordeal "to make an example of her".
==Cast== {{Cast listing| *Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun *Matt Smith as Martin Bright *Matthew Goode as Peter Beaumont *Rhys Ifans as Ed Vulliamy *Adam Bakri as Yasar Gun *Indira Varma as Shami Chakrabarti *Ralph Fiennes as Ben Emmerson *Conleth Hill as Roger Alton *Tamsin Greig as Elizabeth Wilmshurst *Hattie Morahan as Yvonne Ridley *Ray Panthaki as Kamal Ahmed *Angus Wright as Mark Ellison *Chris Larkin as Nigel Jones *Monica Dolan as Fiona Bygate *Jack Farthing as Andy Dumfries *Clive Francis as Admiral Nick Wilkinson *Katherine Kelly as Jacqueline / MI6 Agent *John Heffernan as James Welch *Kenneth Cranham as Judge Hyam *Darrell D'Silva as Chilean Ambassador *Janie Dee as Jan Clements *MyAnna Buring as Jasmine *Niccy Lin as Mi-Yung *Chris Reilly as Jerry *Shaun Dooley as John *Peter Guinness as TinTin *Hanako Footman as Nicole Mowbray *Jeremy Northam<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/official-secrets-sundance-2019-1180558|title='Official Secrets': Film Review Sundance 2019|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=David|last=Rooney|date=29 January 2019|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> as Ken Macdonald }} Martin Bright has a cameo role as an unnamed journalist.
==Production== Sara and Gregory Bernstein had already written a script by 2008. Eventually it found itself on The Black List, a list of "most liked" screenplays that have not yet been produced, where director Debs Paterson saw it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/03/katharine-gun-iraq-war-whistleblower|title=Ten years on what happened to the woman who revealed dirty tricks on Iraq war vote?|first=Martin|last=Bright|newspaper=The Observer |date=3 March 2013|via=The Guardian|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> Still, nothing came of it until January 2016, when a filming start in May was announced, with Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins, Paul Bettany, Natalie Dormer and Martin Freeman cast.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/harrison-ford-anthony-hopkins-official-secrets-1201691491/|title=Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins to Star in Thriller 'Official Secrets'|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=28 January 2016|magazine=Variety}}</ref> Tahar Rahim and Gillian Anderson were cast during the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/prophet-tahar-rahim-official-secrets-1201705050/|title=Berlin: 'A Prophet' Star Tahar Rahim Joins Harrison Ford in 'Official Secrets' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=12 February 2016|magazine=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/gillian-anderson-harrison-ford-official-secrets-1201705836/|title=Berlin: Gillian Anderson Joining Harrison Ford in 'Official Secrets' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=13 February 2016|magazine=Variety}}</ref> However by June 2017, filming had yet to begin, and cast member Anderson stated she had not heard anything about the project since being cast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heyuguys.com/gillian-anderson-interview-viceroys-house/|title="Things haven't changed" – Gillian Anderson on the relevance of Viceroy's House|last=Pape|first=Stefan|date=1 March 2017|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref>
By January 2018, the project was redeveloped once more, with Gavin Hood now set to direct in place of Justin Chadwick, and Keira Knightley and Matt Smith cast in February, replacing the previous cast. In March, Ralph Fiennes and Matthew Goode joined the cast, with filming beginning on 12 March 2018 in Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.backstage.com/news/casting/uk-greenlit-official-secrets-mrs-lowry-and-son-bbcs-les-miserables-more-start-shooting-next-month-need-talent/|title=U.K. Greenlit: "Official Secrets," "Mrs. Lowry and Son," BBC's "Les Miserables," + More Start Shooting by Next Month, Need Talent|last=Cook|first=Laurence|date=16 January 2016|magazine=Backstage}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-matt-smith-star-real-life-spy-thriller-official-secrets-1083955 |title=Keira Knightley, Matt Smith to Star in Real-Life Spy Thriller 'Official Secrets'|last=Galuppo|first=Mia|date=2 February 2018|work=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/keira-knightley-matt-smith-to-star-in-official-secrets-exclusive/5126481.article|title=Keira Knightley, Matt Smith to star in 'Official Secrets' (exclusive)|last=Kay|first=Jeremy|date=12 February 2018|website=ScreenDaily|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/ralph-fiennes-matthew-goode-keira-knightley-official-secrets-1202721850/|title=Ralph Fiennes and Matthew Goode Join Keira Knightley Thriller 'Official Secrets' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=8 March 2018|magazine=Variety}}</ref> Filming took place in the village of Boston Spa on 14 March.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/keira-knightley-ralph-fiennes-and-matt-smith-film-new-movie-in-village-near-leeds-1-9063549|title=Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Matt Smith film new movie in village near Leeds|newspaper=The Yorkshire Post|first=Grace|last=Newton|date=14 March 2018|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> Indira Varma, Conleth Hill and Tamsin Greig joined the cast the next day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/03/game-of-thrones-stars-indira-varma-and-conleth-hill-join-gavin-hoods-official-secrets-1202338454/|title='Game Of Thrones' Indira Varma & Conleth Hill Join Gavin Hood's 'Official Secrets'|website=Deadline.com|first=Peter|last=White|date=15 March 2018|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> Filming had moved to Manchester by 19 March, serving as a stand-in for London.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/keira-knightley-official-secrets-filming-14428356|title=Manchester transformed into London as Keira Knightley arrives in town for new film|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|first=Andrew|last=Bardsley|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> Filming was undertaken in April 2018 in Liverpool's St George's Hall.<ref>{{cite news|last=Houghton|first=Alistair|title=Revealed: Why Keira Knightley was spotted in Liverpool|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/revealed-keira-knightley-spotted-liverpool-14585073|work=Liverpool Echo|accessdate=30 June 2021|date=28 April 2018}}</ref>
The beach scenes featuring Emmerson and Macdonald were filmed at Thurstaston beach on the Wirral peninsula side of the Dee Estuary and prominently show the cottage known locally as Sally's Cottage.
==Release== The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 28 January 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/sundance-film-festival-premieres-lineup-harvey-weinstein-movie-toni-morrison-miles-davis-dr-ruth-full-list-1202510342/|title=Sundance 2019: Premieres Include Harvey Weinstein Docu, Mindy Kaling, Dr. Ruth, UK Spies, Miles Davis & Ted Bundy|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Dominic|last=Patten|date=28 November 2018|access-date=30 June 2021}}</ref> Shortly after, IFC Films acquired US distribution rights to the film for "just under $2 million".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sundance-keira-knightly-drama-official-secrets-acquired-by-ifc-films-1179711|title=Sundance: Keira Knightly Whistleblower Drama 'Official Secrets' Acquired by IFC Films|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|date=2 February 2019|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> It was released in the United States on 30 August 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ifcfilms.com/films/official-secrets|title=Official Secrets|website=IFC Films|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> It was previously scheduled to be released on 23 August 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/official-secrets-release-date-keira-knightley-ralph-fiennes-gavin-hood-ifc-films-1202587000/|title='Official Secrets': Keira Knightley-Ralph Fiennes Whistleblower Thriller Gets Release Date Via IFC Films|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Erik|last=Pederson|date=2 April 2019|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> and in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2019/jun/12/official-secrets-keira-knightley-stars-in-story-of-iraq-war-whistleblower-trailer|title=Official Secrets: Keira Knightley stars in story of Iraq war whistleblower – trailer|website=TheGuardian.com|date=12 June 2019|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref>
==Reception== [[File:Knightley Bafta 2015 07.png|thumb|222x222px|Keira Knightley's performance garnered critical acclaim.]] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus reads, "''Official Secrets'' has a familiar structure and an obvious if worthy message, but rises on the strength of Keira Knightley's powerful performance."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/official_secrets|title=Official Secrets (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}}</ref> On Metacritic, the film holds 63 out of a 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/official-secrets|title=Official Secrets|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref>
In an article about the film and Katharine Gun, Sam Husseini wrote that "having followed this story from the start, I find this film to be, by Hollywood standards, a remarkably accurate account of what has happened to date—'to date' because the wider story still isn't really over".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Husseini|first1=Sam|title=Film Official Secrets Is Tip of Mammoth Iceberg|url=https://fair.org/home/film-official-secrets-is-tip-of-mammoth-iceberg/|accessdate=30 June 2021|publisher=FAIR|date=30 August 2019}}</ref>
==Accolades== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |- !scope=col|Award !scope=col|Year !scope=col|Category !scope=col|Recipient !scope=col|Result !scope=col|Ref(s) |- |Saturn Awards |26 October 2021 |Best International Film |''Official Secrets'' |{{Nominated}} |<ref>{{cite web|date=4 March 2021|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|title=Saturn Awards Nominations: 'Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker', 'Tenet', 'Walking Dead', 'Outlander' Lead List|website=Deadline Hollywood|url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/saturn-awards-nominations-2021-nominees-list-1234706492/|accessdate=30 June 2021}}</ref> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.ifcfilms.com/films/official-secrets}} * {{IMDb title|5431890}}
{{Gavin Hood}}
Category:2019 thriller films Category:Films shot in Greater Manchester Category:2010s spy films Category:2010s political films Category:British thriller films Category:British spy films Category:British political films Category:Films about whistleblowing Category:Films directed by Gavin Hood Category:Films set in 2003 Category:Films set in 2004 Category:Films set in London Category:Films set in Gloucestershire Category:Films shot in Lancashire Category:Films shot in Yorkshire Category:Films shot in Liverpool Category:Lionsgate Canada films Category:IFC Films films Category:Scanbox Entertainment films Category:British docudrama films Category:2019 drama films Category:2019 films Category:2019 English-language films Category:2019 British films Category:Films about journalism Category:Films about women in the United Kingdom Category:Iraq War films Category:Films scored by Paul Hepker Category:English-language thriller films