Rogue Agent (2022)

Rogue Agent is the kind of true-crime thriller that grabs you not with flashy twists, but with the chilling plausibility of how easily a confident liar can rewrite someone’s reality. James Norton plays Robert Freegard with a slippery charm that’s as magnetic as it is alarming, while Gemma Arterton gives the film its beating heart—smart, grounded, and quietly furious in a way that keeps the story human instead of sensational. The directors keep the pacing tight and the tension steadily ratcheting, building a cat-and-mouse vibe where every conversation feels like it could tilt from romance to danger in a breath. It’s not for viewers who prefer their thrillers escapist—this one lingers because it’s about manipulation and control—but if you like dramas that are gripping, well-acted, and unnervingly believable, it’s an easy recommendation.

Rogue Agent wants to be a tense, real-life catfish thriller about how charisma and fear can dismantle ordinary lives, and it’s clearly aiming for a grounded, victim-focused take rather than a sensational one. The problem is it often feels too restrained and conventional for a story this outrageous, so the suspense can flatten out and the pacing drifts when you’re expecting the net to tighten. Some of the con’s mechanics may also play as implausible on screen, not because it couldn’t happen, but because the film doesn’t always sell the psychology with enough bite. Still, James Norton is chillingly smooth and Gemma Arterton gives the movie a solid emotional anchor—just don’t go in expecting a daring, high-voltage thriller; it’s more tasteful drama than adrenaline ride.