Defense of the Realm (1986)

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96 min - Thriller - 21 November 1986 (USA)

6.6

Ratings: 6.6/10 from 1,118 users
Reviews: 19 user | 11 critic

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.

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Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
	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

Full cast and crew »

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Storyline

A reporter Mullen 'stumbles' on a story linking a prominent Member of Parliament to a KGB agent. In fact it is also linked to a near Nuclear disaster involving a teenage runaway and an Americal USAF base. Has there been a Government cover-up,Mullen teams up with Vernon Bayliss, an old hack, and Nina Beckam the MP's assistant to find out the truth. Written by Matthew Stanfield <mattst@cogs.susx.ac.uk>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Thriller

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »

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Details

Country:

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

A Defesa do Reino See more »

Filming Locations:

Cabbell Street, Marylebone, London, England, UK See more »

Box Office

Gross:

$750,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rank Organisation, The, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC), Enigma Productions See more »

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

See full technical specs »

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Did You Know?

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.) See more »

Goofs

Revealing mistakes: Markham's wife's name is spelled Trudy Markham in the rolling credits. In a newspaper clipping that Mullen looks at, her name is spelled "Trudi" in the headline. See more »

Quotes

Ministry Man: You would agree, would you not, that certain things bearing on the defence of the realm are best left unsaid.
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: If you mean covered up, no, I wouldn't.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The research done for this film is shown by the acknowledgment at the end
of the credits: "The Producers wish to thank the STAFF and MANAGEMENT of
THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS FOR THEIR HELP." See more »

Connections

Referenced in Howling III (1987) See more »

Soundtracks

"Passion Chorale"
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach See more »

Defense of the Realm (1986)
Defence of the Realm (original title)

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