Official Secrets

Keira Knightley has found herself in somewhat of a paradox. She's a big movie star whose name has a lot of cachets, but she became big at the age of 17 when she appeared in "The Pirates of the Caribbean." Now she's wondering if that was the best choice for her career. "If I was presented with the script for 'Pirates of the Caribbean' today, I'd be wrong to do so, but I'd probably say no." Knightley told "The Daily Telegraph."

As the daughter of left-wing theatre actors, Knightly grew up with a respect for socially and politically important material, like the high-risk, low-budget independent film "Official Secrets." In this whistleblowing political thriller, the Academy Award-nominated actress plays Katherine Gun, a British government employee who leaked a memo showing how the American government tried to strong-arm the United Nations into starting a war.

Like most politically conscious people in 2003, Gun worries about the U.S.'s headstrong efforts to start the war in Iraq. Then a memo crosses her desk. It directs British Government Communications Headquarters' Employees in her country to eavesdrop on UN diplomats. Ultimately providing the U.S. with blackmail material that they could use to extort these diplomats, who are tasked to vote on a resolution regarding the invasion of Iraq.

This edge-of-your-seat spy story, based on real events detailed in the non-fiction book "The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War" by Marcia & Thomas Mitchell, is not unlike "All the President's Men." It has the same respect for legitimacy and truth, not to mention the strong themes of questioning authority and the media's role in government.

Academy Award-winning South African director Gavin Hood, who directed another ethically confrontational political film "Eye in the Sky," asks us when treason is acceptable, and perhaps even necessary, to keep government power in balance. It's a question that patriots in the American Colonies pondered when they founded the U.S. nation. And it's a question that we must still ask ourselves today.

A bevy of talented actors drive this film home, including Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, and Ralph Fiennes, but Knightley and her famous name are really what allowed this picture to get off the ground. She may not be proud of being part of a franchise based on an amusement park ride, but certainly some good has come out of it.

"Official Secrets"
DVD
$19.98
www.ifcfilms.com/films/official-secrets