Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- serious
- restrained
- morally ambivalent
- historical thriller night
- judi dench viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the real-life espionage premise compelling but considered the dramatization dull, mediocre, and unable to make effective use of Judi Dench.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Older Joan's exposure prompts extended passages following her younger life and recruitment as a spy.
Joan sympathizes with communism while working inside the British state and transferring nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.
Joan remains undetected for decades while living as an English woman whose hidden past is radically different from her public identity.
The film focuses on government offices, domestic spaces, and espionage conversations rather than action set pieces.
Films like Red Joan, and why
The Imitation Game
historical espionage drama centered on ideological compromise and secret intelligence work
A Very British Affair
period spy drama exploring loyalty, betrayal, and morally conflicted political choices
The Courier
real-life-inspired espionage narrative with divided loyalties and restrained tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Trevor Nunn
- Release Date
- 2018-09-13
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (405)
Cast
- Judi Dench
- Sophie Cookson
- Tom Hughes
- Tereza Srbova
- Stephen Campbell Moore
- Ben Miles
- Nina Sosanya
- Laurence Spellman
- Nicola Sloane
- Freddie Gaminara
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Acorn TV Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Red Joan about?
- An elderly British civil servant confronts the buried ideological convictions that led her to become a Soviet atomic spy.
- What is Red Joan like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Red Joan as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Red Joan violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Red Joan as mild.
- What did critics think of Red Joan?
- Critics broadly found the real-life espionage premise compelling but considered the dramatization dull, mediocre, and unable to make effective use of Judi Dench.
- Which films are like Red Joan?
- Films with a similar feel include The Imitation Game, A Very British Affair, and The Courier.
- How long is Red Joan?
- Red Joan runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch Red Joan?
- In United States, Red Joan streams on Netflix, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Acorn TV Apple TV channel.
