Family of Spies (1990) (TV)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Stephen Gyllenhaal

Writers (WGA):

Howard Blum (book)
Pete Earley (book)

Release Date:

4 February 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Fact based story of John A. Walker, Jr., a Navy chief petty officer with access to top secret cryptographic communications...

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Espionage | Soviet | Motel | Ex Wife

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Powers Boothe	...	John A. Walker Jr
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Barbara Walker
Lili Taylor	...	Laura Walker
Graham Beckel	...	Jerry A. Whitworth
Andrew Lowery	...	Michael L. Walker
Jenny Robertson	...	Rachel
Charles Stransky
Ken Jenkins
Elena Wohl	...	Cynthia Walker (as Elena Stiteler)
Gordon Clapp	...	Capt. Burnett
John M. Jackson	...	Arthur J. Walker
John Wesley	...	Capt. Lennox
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Boris One
Cynthia Bain	...	Linda Rayfield
William Frankfather	...	Adm. Tully

Runtime:

USA:175 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

U.S. Naval Station, Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Black Den Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the movie Walker is shown walking down the gangplank. As he approaches the Officer of the Deck the emblem on his cap is that of a Navy Warrant Officer. As he walks down the plank his hat emblem is that of a naval officer. When he gets into his MG the hat emblem is back to the Warrant officer emblem.

what a great show

The TV Guide ad for this movie said that Powers Boothe brings to the role of an American traitor the same chilling conviction that won him an Emmy award for the 1980 tv movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story Of Jim Jones. Boothe is both an actor whom you don't see enough of and one who has never been given just due. He is a really great bad guy with his sinister handsomeness and deep baritone voice. John Walker was truly a despicable traitor who was motivated by simple greed. I just cannot understand how he could get his own son involved! This movie is a masterful adaptation of Pete Earley's book. What gets me is that Walker thought he was so smart (Earley said that he reminded him of a dog chasing his own tail around and around) but he was a fool. If our country had gone to war with Russia and they defeated us, they wouldn't have shown Walker any special treatment. He would have been in the prison camps along with everybody else.