The Fourth Protocol (1987)

KGB agent Major Valeri Petrofsky has been reassigned at the request of the KGB Chairman for a secret mission wherein he is sent to England to establish a residence near an American military... See full summary »

Director:

John Mackenzie

Writers:

George Axelrod (screen story), Richard Burridge (additional material),

Stars:

Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Ned Beatty

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	John Preston
Pierce Brosnan	...	Valeri Petrofsky / James Edward Ross
Ned Beatty	...	Borisov / Pavel Petrovic
Joanna Cassidy	...	Irina Vassilievna
Julian Glover	...	Brian Harcourt-Smith
Michael Gough	...	Sir Bernard Hemmings
Ray McAnally	...	General Karpov
Ian Richardson	...	Sir Nigel Irvine
Anton Rodgers	...	George Berenson
Caroline Blakiston	...	Angela Berenson
Joseph Brady	...	Carmichael
Betsy Brantley	...	Eileen McWhirter
Sean Chapman	...	Captain Lyndhurst
Matt Frewer	...	Tom McWhirter
Jerry Harte	...	Professor Krilov

Storyline

KGB agent Major Valeri Petrofsky has been reassigned at the request of the KGB Chairman for a secret mission wherein he is sent to England to establish a residence near an American military base and receive various items for couriers from the USSR. John Preston is the top British spy catcher, currently at odds with his superior because he doesn't lick his boots. After a recent operation caused his superior some embarrassment, he is reassigned to the menial task of overseeing airports and ports. One day one the couriers Petrofsky was expecting has an encounter with customs which leaves him dead. Preston then goes through his things and finds that he was carrying an atomic bomb component. Preston now suspects that someone is bringing in parts for an atomic bomb, and obtains permission from an official higher than his own superior to attempt to find this person. And back in the USSR, Petrofsky's boss is so disgruntled that Petrofsky has been taken from him that he calls his old friend, ...

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Plot Keywords:

kgb | russian | courier | atomic bomb | spy | 

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Taglines:

If the Fourth Protocol is ever breached, there would be no warning, just a nuclear explosion from a bedsitter...The unthinkable has just begun...

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

A negyedik záradék

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$12,423,831 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fourth Protocol

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Michael Caine and author Frederick Forsyth had been friends for around a decade prior to this picture. In the three earlier filmed adaptations of Forsyth novels, Caine was never selected to be in them. So the two decided raise the finance themselves so as to make sure they could work on a movie together. The two are billed as executive producers on this movie.

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Goofs

Valeri and Irina assemble the bomb with their bare hands. Irrespective of the radiation risk, uranium is highly toxic by skin contact - they would both have become very seriously ill shortly afterwards.

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Quotes

Tom McWhirter: Don't tell me you reached your limit, Jimmy boy.
Valeri Petrofsky: I usually try to keep my limit to a gallon or so.

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Connections

Referenced in Pointless: Episode #3.7 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 47"
(uncredited)
(excerpt from 1st movement: Allegro moderato)
Composed by Jean Sibelius

User Reviews

A guilty pleasure.

I wouldn't consider this movie a "classic" or even particularly "great", but for some reason I really enjoy watching this film. I haven't read the book, however I used to own "The Fourth Protocol" computer game for the Commodore 64, and was vaguely familiar with the basic storyline.

I can't pinpoint what exactly it is I like about this movie, but I did enjoy seeing Michael Caine as a British agent tracking down the nuclear bomb. I could probably watch a whole series of films based around his character. I also liked some of the other characters and I think it had a good cast of actors. The workings of government agents was very compelling to watch, but it was good to see that the film wasn't overwhelmed by ridiculous gadgets and stuck to the drama involved.

The 80's technology in the film also had an element of nostalgia about it. This film reminds me of a bygone age of the BBC Micro and Ford transit vans. In fact, I love watching the film just to see the various parts of England as well.

I liked the fact that its a rather 'quiet' movie, but I do think it needed to be re-edited. Some parts of the film just skimmed through major plot developments without giving them time to breath, and other times the film would show a character hopping from various locations in England without giving a sense of the travelling in between. Watching this film would give the impression that England is only about 10 miles wide! Some elements of the film really needed to be fleshed out a bit more.

This isn't the sort of movie I would go to a cinema to see, its more of a "Friday night in" movie that I would watch on TV. I would only recommend it to someone if they were die-hard fans of this genre.