The Secret Agent: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Classy adaptation of Joseph Conrad's timeless classic
Year: 2016
Certificate: 15
Published in 1907, but set in 1886 and imbued with a resonance to today, Joseph Conrad's thriller was adapted for this brooding, three-part series in 2016, having previously been brought to the screen multiple times, including a 1992 version (with David Suchet) and Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 take, Sabotage.
This stars Toby Jones as Anton Verloc, who runs a sleazy shop in London while maintaining a secret sideline as a Russian spy. One day, Verloc is summoned to the embassy by his new boss to be told that England is in need of 'a jolly good scare', an explosive act of 'true terrorism' that will force the British government to crack down on anarchist groups. And Verloc is just the man for the job...
It's a perfect role for Jones, who has since emerged as one of our greatest everyman actors, from Mr Bates vs The Post Office to Lance in Detectorists, but who can also sidle into darker, less heroic roles - especially in Hollywood movies, in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and as supervillain Arnim Zola in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is his least likeable role to date in an adaptation littered with unlikeable folk. Powerhouse British TV talents Vicky McClure and Stephen Graham also star. (Three episodes)
