IMDb > Defence of the Realm (1985)
Defence of the Realm
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Defence of the Realm (1985) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   888 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

David Drury

Writer:

Martin Stellman (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for Defense of the Realm on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA) more

Genre:

Thriller more

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. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

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

NewsDesk:
(2 articles)

Babylon - Trailer
 (From LateFilmFull. 5 October 2008, 1:19 AM, PDT)

1980's Cult Classic Babylon Comes To UK DVD
 (From LateFilmFull. 4 October 2008, 4:13 PM, PDT)

User Comments:

Clever stuff more (14 total)


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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

Defense of the Realm (USA)
more

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo


Fun Stuff

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.) more

Quotes:

[Byrne pours his coffee into a potted plant]
Jack Macleod: Aw, Christ, what did that geranium ever do to you?
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Howling III (1987) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Clever stuff, 2 May 2001
7/10
Author: tetsab from East Sussex, UK

Well put together, and it will not do your paranoia any good at all! (But then, if you're not a bit paranoid, there's something wrong with you!)

Perhaps the characters could do with filling out a little, but on the whole, this is a very well-crafted thriller, to which you have to pay attention, as there are no big info-dumps or exposition: you have to work out a lot for yourself.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (14 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Defence of the Realm (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
characters in the opening scene fkelleghan
What *is* that music? mrsalex
The naked pictures in the background... hannahp1
Nick and Nina xlilpunkxsktrx
Nick and Nina xlilpunkxsktrx
may be based on true story from 1958 ernestnwonton
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