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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Title: Defense of the Realm (1985)
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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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (59) »
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 Keywords:
member of parliament | political thriller | journalism | cover up | newspaper reporter |Taglines:
Just how far will a government go to hide the truth?Genres:
ThrillerParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
21 November 1986 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Defense of the Realm See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$750,000Company Credits
Production Co:
The Rank Organisation, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC), Enigma Productions See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
StereoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
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?
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The plot borrows a few elements from the 1961 Profumo affair. That too involved a British politician sharing a woman with a Russia spy. But most of the story is very different. See more »Goofs
Markham's wife's name is spelled "Trudy Markham" when a typist takes dictation from Nick over the phone and in the rolling credits. In a newspaper clipping that Mullen looks at, her name is spelled "Trudi" in the headline. See more »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?
[...]
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 »Frequently Asked Questions
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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.