Synopsis
An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities irrevocably changed after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Brit MarlingSarah
- Alexander SkarsgårdBenji
- Elliot PageIzzy
- Toby KebbellDoc
- Shiloh FernandezLuca
- Aldis HodgeThumbs
- Danielle MacdonaldTess
- Hillary BaackEve
- Patricia ClarksonSharon
- Julia OrmondPaige
Recommendations
- 83
Entertainment Weekly
The East is still a compelling portrait of what gets lost (and found) when a cause becomes an obsession. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Batmanglij balances emotional tension with practical danger nicely, a must in a story whose activist protagonists can make no distinction between the personal and the political. - 80
Film.com
This is a movie that proposes a genuine, intelligent solution, both for the main character and for us. It comes at you kinda quickly (and economically, in about three wordless shots), but it hit me like a bag of dumpster-dived apples to the gut. - 80
Time Out
Eventually it’s go time, and if The East loses a little steam on the grounds of action mechanics (a skill these plots always require), it’s never dumb on the subject of covert allegiances. - 75
IndieWire
As slickly paced as a big-studio espionage movie, it nearly succeeds as a pure adrenaline-rush thriller. In the end, the problem isn't that there's too much plot, but rather a certain dramatic illogic. - 75
Slant Magazine
It showcases the evolving interests and talents of Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling, but expands them and channels them into a more traditional thriller framework. - 70
Variety
This clever, involving spy drama builds to a terrific level of intrigue before losing some steam in its second half. - 67
The Playlist
The East is definitely a movie that's going to divide people but it'll be a conversation worth having.
