Secret Defense
1998 · Movie · 174 min · ★ 6.3 · 80% critics
A biologist is shaken when her brother is caught trying to steal a gun from her workplace. He claims their father’s death wasn’t an accident and urges her to help uncover what really happened, pulling her into a tense search for answers amid suspicion, secrecy, and the lure of revenge.
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Watch free on Kanopy — also streaming on Cohen Media Channel.
3 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Secret défense
- Years
- 1998
- Release date
- 1998-03-18
- Language
- French
- Runtime
- 174 min
- Critic score
- 80/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.3/10 (23 votes)
- Box office
- $268,177
About
You may enjoy this if you like patient, ambiguous mysteries where tension builds gradually and motives stay murky, similar to A Pure Formality; Not for you if you want fast action, clear answers, or character-driven realism.
Pros: slow-burn suspense; eerie paranoia; strong lead performance | Cons: very long runtime; deliberately slow pace; emotionally distant characters
Themes
- subway
- death of father
- revenge
Cast & crew
Sandrine Bonnaire
as Sylvie
Laure Marsac
as Véronique / Ludivine
Françoise Fabian
as Geneviève
- CV
Christine Vouilloz
as Myriam
- MS
Mark Saporta
as Jules
- SL
Sara Louis
as Carole
Hermine Karagheuz
as L'infirmière
- BG
Bernadette Giraud
as Marthe
- MH
Micheline Herzog
as Sabine
- PB
Patrick Le Bouar
as Robert
Directed by Jacques Rivette