Madame Spy: Fay Wray in a web of secrets

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school black and white thrillers, maybe. If you need pacing that feels like a modern movie, probably not. It's for the folks who enjoy seeing 1930s sets and watching people act suspiciously in dimly lit rooms.

Fay Wray is in this. Yes, the Fay Wray. She’s playing Maria, who is married to a German intelligence guy. You can tell pretty quickly that she’s keeping secrets, but the movie takes its sweet time getting to the actual explosion of her marriage.

There is this one scene where her husband, Captain Franck, is pacing around his office. He’s talking about 'the leak' like it’s a dripping faucet in his kitchen. The way he gets so heated over a missing folder is almost funny.

The vibe

It’s very much a product of 1934. Everything is stiff, but in a way that feels kind of cozy? I don’t know. There’s a lot of staring at people from across the room. People hold secrets like they’re holding a hot potato.

I found myself thinking about The Safety Curtain while watching this, mostly because both movies feel like they’re obsessed with people hiding in plain sight. At least this one has more hats.

Small things I noticed

• The lighting in the hallway scenes is way too dramatic. Like, why is there a giant shadow on the wall every time someone walks by?
• The dialogue is super snappy. Almost too snappy. Nobody talks like this, but it’s fun to hear.
• There’s a moment where a character drops a glass. It’s not important. It just happens and nobody reacts to it. I wonder if it was an accident on set that they just kept in.

There’s a bit of that melodrama you see in older films where the stakes feel world-ending but it’s really just a husband and wife arguing over dinner. It feels less like an international spy thriller and more like a very high-stakes version of a bad relationship. 🙄

It’s not as energetic as Come On, Marines!, that's for sure. It’s a bit slower, maybe a bit more tired. But honestly, watching Fay Wray try to act natural while hiding a massive secret is worth the price of admission, even if the plot feels like it’s running on fumes by the last act.

Don't expect a masterpiece. Just expect a movie that knows exactly what it wants to be, even if it trips over its own feet a few times along the way. Some parts drag, but I didn't hate it.