"After that curious title card, The Secret Agent begins with Marcelo (Moura) driving into a lonely gas station on the outskirts of Recife. A station attendant hurriedly attends to him, apologetically telling him to ignore the corpse currently roasting in the sun a few feet away from them. It's half-covered by dirty pieces of cardboard, a sad attempt at giving this anonymous cadaver some dignity."
"The man was shot trying to rob the place, the gas station attendant says, pitifully. The man had already called the police a few days ago, but no one had come. But shortly, two policemen do pull up, but not to collect the body; they ask to see Marcelo's documents and car, which is filled to the brim with his belongings, looking for something, anything, illicit."
Set in 1977 Brazil during the military dictatorship, The Secret Agent opens with a cheeky title card calling the era 'a time of mischief.' The film blends neo-noir, languorous character drama, magical-realist comedy, and political-thriller elements. An opening sequence finds Marcelo (Wagner Moura) at a remote Recife gas station beside a rotting corpse while policemen later search his car and solicit a bribe. The film shifts tones and genres throughout, adopting fablelike qualities and recalling the gritty, genre-play of Bacurau. Wagner Moura delivers a knotty, complex lead performance that anchors the shapeshifting narrative.
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