Defence of the Realm (1985)

Director:

David Drury

Writer:

Martin Stellman (writer)

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Just how far will a government go to hide the truth?

Plot:

After a newspaper reporter helps expose a Member of Parliament as a possible spy, he finds that there's much more to the story than that.

Plot Keywords:

Political | Cover Up | Journalism | Newspaper | Air Base

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Gabriel Byrne	...	Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen
Greta Scacchi	...	Nina Beckman
Denholm Elliott	...	Vernon Bayliss
Ian Bannen	...	Dennis Markham
Fulton Mackay	...	Victor Kingsbrook
Bill Paterson	...	Jack Macleod
David Calder	...	Harry Champion
Frederick Treves	...	Arnold Reece
Robbie Coltrane	...	Leo McAskey
Annabel Leventon	...	Trudy Markham
Graham Fletcher-Cook	...	Micky Parker
Steven Woodcock	...	Steven Dyce
Alexei Jawdokimov	...	Dietrich Kleist
Danny Webb	...	Danny Royce (as Daniel Webb)
Prentis Hancock	...	Frank Longman

Also Known As:

Defense of the Realm (USA)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Enigma Film

Trivia:

The name of the airbase is never mentioned. However at one ponint Nick views a press clipping that states the (presumed) hit-and-run driving incident occurred in the village of Brandon. That's in Suffolk, adjacent to the US airbase at RAF Lakenheath. (However, the building Nick is seen parked outside when he asks, and is denied, permission to visit the base commander, is not at Lakenheath, it looks more like RAF Uxbridge which would have been easier to get permission to film at, and is also very close to the Shepperton studio where the film was made.)

Quotes:

[SPOILER]
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: [angrily] Where'd the tip-off come from?
Harry Champion: Look, you know perfectly well I've got to protect my sources.
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: Oh yeah? Well, from now on, nobody is protecting anybody.
Harry Champion: I'm sorry, I can't tell you.
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: I want to know who told you Kleist was KGB.
Harry Champion: I can't tell you!
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: It was the same source rang me up and gave me the Prague story, wasn't it?
Harry Champion: I've no idea.
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: [chuckles] Come on, Harry. Who was it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Howling III (1987)

Good British thriller

Gabriel Byrne stars in "Defence of the Realm," a 1985 film also starring Denholm Elliott, Greta Scacchi, Ian Bannen and Robbie Coltrane. Byrne plays Mullen, an aggressive newsman who is responsible for a story leading to the downfall of a Parliament member - he was seen leaving a madam's house, as was a KGB agent. However, he soon learns that there's much more to the story than that and that the man has been set up because he knew to much.

This is a very good story with handsome Byrne heading up an excellent cast of foreign faces that will be very familiar to Americans. All of the acting is good, with a standout performance by Denholm Elliott. The beautiful Greta Scacchi, an asset to any production, is totally wasted here, however.

What I liked best about this, and many other British films, is that you have to pay attention - first of all, so that your ears can adjust to the sound of not only the accents but also adjust to the way the British allow room tone to mix in with the dialogue, which we're not used to here. It gives the atmosphere a much more realistic flavor.

Worth seeing.