A long-time James Bond favorite demonstrates his affinity for espionage and joins forces with a former Bond girl in an underrated thriller that is now finding success on 
Netflix
. Released in 2022, the mystery thriller Rogue Agent
finds Quantum of Solace star Gemma Arterton
sharing the screen with Happy Valley star and current 007 frontrunner James Norton
in this true story of a conman who masqueraded as an MI5 agent.
Rogue Agent is now holding firm at #5, with the rest of the Netflix top 10 made up of several action movies, including Miss Congeniality, Rambo: Last Blood, and the Die Hard-esque Aftermath, which is now at #1. Directed by Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn in their feature-length debut, and based on a mysteriously unpublished article titled “Chasing Agent Freegard” by Michael Bronner, Norton stars as conman Robert Hendy-Freegard with Gemma Arterton playing the woman who fell in love with him…before discovering the truth and taking him down. The rest of the cast includes Shazad Latif, Marisa Abela, Edwina Findley and Julian Barratt. You can check out the official synopsis below.
“Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.”
Flying under the radar, not unlike a conman pretending to work for MI5, Rogue Agent was met with highly positive reviews upon release. The action thriller now stands at a promising 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences awarding the movie a solid 67% on the Popcornmeter. “Even if it isn’t as engaging as the real-life story that inspired it, Rogue Agent remains a well-acted and appealingly twisty suspense thriller,” the critics’ consensus reads.
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As for his chances as the next James Bond, James Norton has been a favorite among fans and bookies for some time. Standing alongside the likes of Man of Steel star Henry Cavill, Gladiator 2’s Paul Mescal, The Gentleman’s Theo James, and Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Norton would no doubt effortlessly slip into the iconic tuxedo should he be chosen as the new 007 and pick up the mantle from Daniel Craig.
Speaking of tuxedos, Norton’s role in the recent drama series Playing Nice may have given away the biggest clue yet that he is very much in line for Bond. During the series, Norton’s character attends an elite party, at which everyone in attendance is sporting a tuxedo…except Norton. It is now well-known that any actor who signs a contract to play James Bond is not allowed to wear a tuxedo in any other project, thus keeping the image of 007 intact. And this could be the biggest giveaway yet that the next James Bond has been found.
Asked recently about the ongoing rumors of his potential as the next James Bond in whatever shape the reboot takes, Norton suspiciously swerved the question. Now that Rogue Agent is being discovered by audiences on Netflix, perhaps it’s time to watch the mystery thriller and judge for yourself how well the actor would fare should he be chosen to sip martinis as MI6’s best agent.
August 12, 2022
114 Minutes
Adam Patterson, Declan Lawn
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