Red Joan, the forgotten spy thriller starring Judi Dench and Sophie Cookson, is now available to stream in the UK – here's everything you need to know!
The 2018 film, which is based on Jennie Rooney's 2013 novel of the same name, sees Dench play Joan Smith (later Stanley) at different ages, with Cookson's section following the character during her studies at Cambridge University.
While there, she falls for fellow student Leo Galich (Tom Hughes), who later attempts to recruit Joan into spying for the Soviet Union. Though she rebuffs his offer, Joan in later life - played by Dench - is accused of treason - but did she release secrets?
Featuring Stephen Campbell Moore and Ben Miles in supporting roles, Red Joan is currently available to stream in the UK on BBC iPlayer having been added to the service on Wednesday, though you only have 27 days to view it before it's removed on 16 October.
Written by Lindsay Shapero and directed by Trevor Nunn, the spy thriller failed to strike a chord with critics, with the film currently having a meagre approval rating of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes from 150 reviews.
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"A strange, bifurcated tale of love and espionage, with Judi Dench stuck in a thankless role that does nothing to capitalise on her talents. The film is worse for it," opined IndieWire, while Variety called it "unconvincing".
There were some positive remarks, however, with The Hollywood Reporter praising the casting for being "right on the mark" as they called it a "taut, old-school thriller" with "warm and involving" cinematography.
Though it wasn't well-received by critics, general viewers were a little more receptive to the spy thriller, which currently has an average user rating of 6.4 out of 10 on IMDb from 15,000 reviews.
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"It's good to see a proper, well made British movie," wrote one user. "Everything works perfectly here. From the script to the direction including costume and design it all becomes jigsaw pieces of a fantastic tale. Just a brilliant story."
While the spy thriller has only just been added to BBC iPlayer, one film set to leave the streamer in the coming days is Legend, with the '60s-set crime drama set to be removed on 29 September.
Red Joan is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
