'Secret Agent' is probably Hitchcock's most underrated film. It sets nice atmosphere, it is fairly thrilling and it is entertaining. The ending might be abrupt and unsatisfactory, but in general, it is good movie. The hero (John Gielgud) being little bit reluctant towards his mission, while allowing his sidekick to perform most of the heroics, is nice touch. Madeleine Carroll is sweet as Elsa Carrington, a female spy, and like usually in Hitchcock's movies, she is not just token woman for eyecandy. Robert Young is quite typical suave British playboy who can't stop flirting with gorgeous Elsa. John Gielgud is charming as British spies always. Some call his performance bit wooden, but I saw it part of the character's unwillingness to complete his mission. And then there was Peter Lorre's over the top General. It was very stereotypical portrayal of Mexican, but, oh boy how he must had fun.Some of the most fantastic moments were where the director played with the sound, like the scene in the bell tower when Ashenden and The General whispered into each other's ears. Besides the humor and fantastic 'cloak and dagger' games, Hitchcock managed to create one perfectly eerie moment with the dog in the hotel room. What a way to warn the viewer that something awful is about to happen. All in all, very good spy thriller, plus, how many times you can see the German actor portraying Mexican in British film. Oh the good old times.

It's Edgar Brodie (John Gielgud)'s funeral. The movie flashes back to WWI. Edgar returns home on leave to find his obituary in the papers. R recruits him in a secret mission to intercept a German agent on his way to the Middle East. Edgar is given the fake identity Richard Ashenden. A weird man called The General (Peter Lorre) assists him. He arrives in Switzerland and meets his eager pretend wife Elsa Carrington (Madeleine Carroll). There is an unknown enemy agent given instructions to stop Edgar.It's Alfred Hitchcock while he's still in Britain. It's a spy adventure thriller yarn. The best thing about this is the little Hitchcock touches. I wouldn't call this exciting. I wouldn't call this a compelling mystery either. It's good enough to follow. Peter Lorre is really hamming it up as if he expects to be in a comedy duo with John Gielgud. It's a necessary watch for Hitchcock fans.

If you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock or are a completest of his work Secret Agent is well worth a look at least once. Secret Agent is also a film that is much more than a film for completests only, it's not among the Master of Suspense's overall best- of his early pre-Rebecca films his best were The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps, Sabotage and The Lodger- but it's still a good film. John Gielgud performs admirably if somewhat too reserved in the lead role, a couple of the deaths are silly and there are a couple of loose ends here and there. Hitchcock's direction however is great with some clever and fun touches, if not as inventive or experimental as it would become later. It's a polished-looking film, not audacious but it's well made and has good atmosphere and very attractive locations. The music does a good job at being jaunty and eerie when it's called for, the script has some great ironic humour with a real sense of danger and the story is engrossing and suspenseful. The standout scenes were the church, German lesson, Langen Alp and chocolate factory ones as well as the truly exciting climax. Peter Lorre's toilet-paper scene has to be seen to be believed. Madeleine Carroll is very alluring and believable and she works nicely with Gielgud, while Robert Young is smooth and quietly menacing. Peter Lorre steals the film though in a performance that is genuinely creepy as well as funny. Overall, not mind-blowing but a very good film that is worthy of more attention. Gielgud's performance will divide people- he has been better- but the direction, the many memorable scenes and Lorre are enough to make you stick with it. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Alfred Hitchcock is easily considered one of the finest directors ever to have lived: making films like The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Notorious, Vertigo, North by Northwest and Psycho. But some of his early British films were more hit and miss. Secret Agent was more of a miss.Set in 1916 in the middle First World War. A famous writer/army officer fakes his own death and becomes a spy for the British, Richard Ashenden (John Gielgud). Ashenden is assigned to go to Switzerland to stop a enemy spy who is preventing a British advance in the Middle Easy. His partners are The General/The Hairless Mexican (Peter Lorre) and Elsa Carrington (Madeleine Carroll), his fake wife on the mission. The team have little information about the spy they are hunting, even killing an innocent man, but need to use their investigative skills to stop him.They are some positives in this film, mainly in the direction. Hitchcock has some wonderful shots, showing his skill, like when the camera tracks from looking out of a window then through a telescope. They is a good action sequence at the end of the film, and because of the time, it forced Hitchcock to use long fix shots, making conversation shots longer, and actually better: more like a play. There is also a decent cast in the film, and they is no fault from the actor.The problem with the film is the storyline. They should have had a more of a complex plot, with a lot more investigation throughout the film. Some things seem to happen too easily and just fall into place. It doesn't have the thrills or the tension that is normally in a Hitchcock film. As a spy thriller is mediocre. The character of the General was also a nasty stereotype and was almost played for laughs. It was tough to watch and whilst Peter Lorre tried his best he could only give an over-the-top performance. If this film was made now that character would have been a lot more serious and darker.Overall, Hitchcock does show his talent, but this is not his best film.