67
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleHe was so good at his job he was awarded an honorary knighthood by the British and the Iron Cross II by the Nazis. Talk about playing both sides!
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayEven without the fine psychological shading, Garcia's story is a doozy.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertEdmon Roch's Garbo the Spy is an engrossing documentary that is itself largely a work of the director's imagination.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceSome of this footage feels like filler, but Roch's concept is strong: He's creating a dialogue between the fictions Pujol created to help win the war and the fictions Hollywood created to memorialize that victory.
- 70The New York TimesRachel SaltzThe New York TimesRachel SaltzEdmon Roch has a great story to tell in Garbo the Spy, and he recounts it with the flair of a Hollywood spy movie: "Garbo" is dramatic, entertaining, even funny in parts.
- Takes a fittingly inventive approach to the story of an operative whose MI5 code name reflected his supreme talents as an actor.
- 63Slant MagazineGlenn Heath Jr.Slant MagazineGlenn Heath Jr.Using a whirlwind of archival footage, maps, and split screens, Edmon Roch conveys Juan Pujol Garcia's reign as Europe's premiere spy in a constantly fluid fashion, aesthetically mimicking his crafty and cagey nature.
- 63New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithFascinating though it is, the movie is thin on historical materials.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThe jarring juxtapositions only heighten the enigmatic air of the film's subject; even when he's right in front of us, he seems to be plotting his next wily act.
- A true-life tale of espionage so brazen and crucial to World War II's outcome one marvels that it isn't better known; but the documentary would likely work better as a feature film.