Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2815. Red Joan (2019)

    2815. Red Joan (2019)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on January 13, 2020 100-109 mins, 2019, 6 - 7.9, Drama, Jan 20, Movies Of 2020, Review, United Kingdom
    6.4 Disappointingly pedestrian
    • Acting 7.0
    • Directing 6.0
    • Story 6.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Stephen Campbell Moore

    Director: Trevor Nunn

    Running Time: 101 mins


    Red Joan is a British film about an old woman who was discovered as the oldest KGB spy in the United Kingdom, and the story of her reasons for leaking nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union in the 1940s.

    Espionage isn’t always a field of high-octane thrills and deep deceit, but when it comes to the fight for secrets to unlock the most powerful weapon in history, there is absolutely a lot at stake.

    And that’s what proves so disappointing about Red Joan, as it totally misses the mark in providing icy, suspenseful drama, making an espionage story with links to a major part of modern history seem really rather pedestrian. What’s even more frustrating is its obsession with romance, which is delivered in underwhelming fashion, missing out on what could have been a deeply poignant tale.

    But we’ll start off, briefly, with the positives. As much as Red Joan fails to hit the target with its tension and intrigue, it does at least offer an interesting insight into the mechanics of the spy game in the years leading up to the Cold War. It’s not a simple case of the West vs. the East, but a more fluid and complex series of international relations that get very muddled with the Second World War still raging.

    What’s more, the film is at least unique in its portrayal of the reasoning behind leaking state secrets. Although it doesn’t ever really come off as entirely sympathetic to its main character, it does at least offer up an interesting idea about why nuclear secrets would have been leaked to the Russians, stepping beyond the Cold War spy game and looking at a more global picture.

    The problem, however, is that neither of those interesting themes are really played with properly. As I’ve said, the intrigue of a complex and convoluted game of simultaneous alliance and suspicion is more than enough to create real icy tension, but Red Joan just doesn’t bring that to life.

    From the start, director Trevor Nunn seems committed to emulating the likes of The Theory Of Everything in a portrayal of scholarly romance against an ever-changing political backdrop, but in that ignores almost entirely the real stakes and gritty complexities of espionage. The film may be insightful, but it’s far from the hard-hitting dive into the spy game that it should have been, instead misguidedly obsessed with romantic drama where it really doesn’t play a large role.

    Despite the charisma of lead Sophie Cookson, and her excellent chemistry with co-stars and romantic interests Stephen Campbell Moore and Tom Hughes, the romance is predictable, shallow and frankly not as relevant to the spy game as the film seems to think. As a result, the real significance of the story fades into the background, and is replaced by a hugely frustrating romantic drama with none of the same drama or stakes.

    What’s more is that, in line with the film’s interesting revelations about why someone would reveal state secrets, Red Joan is actually a very personal story, yet it doesn’t give enough attention to the emotions of its main character. At a young age, she doesn’t feel like she’s really wrestling with her conscience ahead of handing over nuclear secrets to ‘the enemy’, and at an older age (when played by Judi Dench), you never get the sense that history catching up to her is of real, grave significance.

    The non-linear narrative is partly to blame for that, as the film switches back and forth between a young Joan in the 1940s and an elderly Joan in 2000, undergoing interrogation upon discovery as a former spy.

    The problem, however, is that by giving so much attention to the outcome of Joan’s actions so early in the film, the complexity and danger of her trading secrets back in the 1940s lacks the same power as if we saw her do it, and then try to keep her actions a secret, despite overwhelming inner emotional turmoil.

    And what’s more is that the interrogations we see her go under at an older age are slow, uneventful and regularly spoiled by revelations we see back in the 1940s. If the film were told in a linear structure, then there would have been far more poignance to all these chickens coming home to roost, as we see Joan encroached on from all sides, finally being forced to give the game up.

    It’s a frustrating fate for what could have been such a thrilling and powerful film. There’s no denying that Red Joan has a fascinating insight into elements of the spy game in the lead-up to the Cold War, but it misses the real significance of those ideas through its obsession with romantic drama. Its non-linear narrative also works against the development of the plot, ultimately playing into what is a disappointingly pedestrian retelling of a story with enormous historical significance, and that’s why I’m giving Red Joan a 6.4 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.2
    Review
    October 26, 20150

    1132. Spectre (2015)

    8.2
    Review
    March 17, 20160

    1288. Cloverfield (2008)

    8.0
    Review
    December 14, 20160

    1582. Room 237 (2012)

    8.7
    Review
    November 15, 20160

    1549. Linda Linda Linda (リンダリンダリンダ) (2005)

    8.4
    Review
    January 9, 20130

    11. Black Swan (2010)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.