Film - Official Secrets

Start time - 15 mins after the advertised time

Based on the ‘untold’ true story that they wrote a book about, this is the film of Katharine Gun’s supposed betrayal of the Official Secrets Act. My overwhelming impression of the events is that they seem shrouded in naivety to me. I vaguely remember the story although I didn’t follow it unfolding at the time (we didn’t have social media) and everyone comes off badly; GCHQ, Tony Blair, The Observer and the whistle-blower herself - although I agree with her making the daring move.. 

Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley) is portrayed as being pretty naive in sharing her secret with her husband which undoubtedly would have implicated him. He was an easy target as a refugee (how annoying they had to point out he was a Muslim the American way rather than a Mueslim in the UK way). The greatest annoyance of this film however came via The Observer’s shouty editor. In all my years of working in the press, I never knew anyone like this and it’s hard to believe the Observer’s was but that’s how he is represented, 

Obviously, Tony Blair doesn’t come out well although it was never explained here if he knew that the Americans wanted to manipulate the facts so they could go to war in Iraq or not.

Overall, the journalist (Matt Smith) that is handed the story on a plate is the hero and the person that had the integrity to risk her life in doing so, not so much.

It’s quite strange to see people alive and well featured on the big screen and Official Secrets is a timely reminder of what goes on behind closed political doors.

7/10