As the old saying goes, the truth is always stranger than fiction, and indeed there are some true stories so strange that they can't be fully expressed with familiar modes of storytelling. Such is the case of “Rogue Agent,” a film that unfolds as a spy thriller and romantic drama before it takes a hard left into the seamy world of scam artistry.
For British viewers, the sordid story of Robert Freegard is likely well-known. The tale will even feel familiar for American viewers, thanks to the Netflix true crime series “The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman.” But the two projects take completely different tacks. Though both start at the same point, when Freegard was passing himself off as an MI5 agent fighting the IRA from behind the bar of a Shropshire pub, “Rogue Agent” proceeds linearly from there, while “The Puppet Master” winds its way back and forth through Freegard’s life of coercion and control, achieving a far more eerie and chilling effect.
Directed by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, who directed the hit BBC series “The Salisbury Poisonings,” “Rogue Agent” is based on the article “Chasing Agent Freegard,” by Michael Bronner. Lawn and Patterson collaborated on the screenplay, a straightforward telling of the events, focusing on one of the many victims Freegard left in his wake. The film itself is rather oddly paced and can’t quite land on a tone, flitting from spy film to rom-com to maudlin story of escape and empowerment.
