Hola, como estas? A couple of weeks ago, while I was watching another Spanish thriller, The Courier, I became interested in these covert anti-corruption operations. So, when I saw the title of this movie, I wrongly assumed its plot would further elaborate on the topic. Some twenty minutes in, I realized my mistake but that did not prevent me from continuing. Just so we’re perfectly clear, I’m talking about Operation Emperor from 2012. Code Name: Emperor is an engaging thriller about a covert ops government agent doing increasingly more and more dirty work. As a true professional, emotionally detached, and efficient, Juan is the go-to guy for this all-powerful secret agency.
His latest mission seems straightforward enough but it will prove to be anything but that. And he keeps getting sidetracked with side missions. So, you’ve got your classic dirty behind-the-scenes corruption blackmail politics sex drugs power, and money story. If this sounds a bit jumbled, it’s because it is. At least in the beginning. As time goes on, the story will start getting tighter and more intense. And by the time we get to the end, you will want the story to continue. This domestic black ops agency has an intensely real feel to it. It feels like stuff like this is happening not only in Spain but all across the world.
I loved the opportunity to find out how would you go about setting up these operations and the lengths they’re willing to go to get what they want. Not to mention all the high-tech surveillance stuff, including miniature cameras and hacking. I am an IT guy after all. Additionally, you keep thinking about what would happen if you found yourself on the other end of an operation like this. The pacing is steady as is the storytelling. However, you should know that there won’t be much action here. This simply isn’t that type of a movie. It’s more oriented towards the complex spy procedures, tension, and atmosphere. All of this is generated from the secretive, intrusive, and nasty nature of this highly immoral line of work.
Code Name: Emperor is technically a spy thriller but with a grounded approach. Add to this a bit of romance and thought-provoking questions about morality and our society and you got yourself quite a movie. A movie you can watch any day of the week and be engaged. I miss movies like this and this is why I always emphasize their importance. We can’t be watching all-consuming masterpieces every day. You can consider this experience as your virtual vacation in Spain. As it is customary for this type of movie, we won’t spend all of our time there. South America and Hungary do sound appetizing and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Luis Tosar is one of the most popular Spanish actors and he knows how to pick a good movie. Every time I see his name among the cast members, I instantly give the movie a benefit of a doubt. After all, the man rarely disappoints. 13 years after Cell 211, Tosar is reunited with prolific screenwriter Jorge Guerricaechevarría. Alexandra Masangkay, who plays the Filipino maid Wendy, was great along with Georgina Amorós (Marta). The two of them added a touch of grace and humanity to this otherwise pretty dark and nefarious story. Speaking of which, the anti-hero of this story, Juan, is quite interesting to examine.
As the old saying goes: it’s dirty work, but someone has to do it. And Juan, despite his barely noticeable inner turmoil is willing to go with the flow. Or is he? What if his actions are helping the nation and because of that he’s willing to let certain things slide? Would you be able to do that if you knew that your actions might save a lot of innocent lives and put bad guys behind bars?
Director: Jorge Coira
Writer: Jorge Guerricaechevarría
Cast: Luis Tosar, Alexandra Masangkay, Georgina Amorós, Denis Gómez, Laura Domínguez, Miguel Rellán
Fun Facts: The type of operation Juan is trying to pull on the perspective politician Angel is a Honey Trap. While it was popular before the Internet, the rise of online dating made it exceptionally easy to pull off and highly effective.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13660916/
