Official Secrets

THE GIST: A British spy becomes a whistleblower when she discovers an illegal NSA-led operation to blackmail member states on the UN Security Council into backing the 2003 US/UK war in Iraq.

Official Secrets is a well written thriller centered around the courageous act of an actual British Intelligence officer, Katharine Gun, who decided that her loyalty was with the British people rather than the British government, and that the former deserved to know the truth about the illegal war the latter was careening the country towards.

Unfortunately, her disclosure wasn't enough to prevent the catastrophic Iraq war, which was based on manipulated intelligence and lies proffered by both Bush and Blair to their respective countries and to the world. We're still all paying the cost of that blunder . . .

Keira Knightley is excellent in the lead, flanked by Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, and Adam Bakri. An excellent cast all around.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Definitely recommended if you're looking for a taut drama, with the added benefit of shedding some light on one of the many unsavory operations our governments carry out in secret, purportedly for the benefit of all.

Grade: 7.5