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Defense of the Realm (1986)

Defence of the Realm (original title)
PG | | Thriller | 21 November 1986 (USA)
Defense of the Realm Poster
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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Writer:

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ON DISC
Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Defence of the Realm
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Defence of the Realm
Thriller
Not yet released

A reporter exposes a government scandal.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen
... Nina Beckman
... Vernon Bayliss
... Dennis Markham
... Victor Kingsbrook
... Jack Macleod
... Harry Champion
Frederick Treves ... Arnold Reece
... Leo McAskey
Annabel Leventon ... Trudy Markham
... Micky Parker
Steven Woodcock ... Steven Dyce
Alexei Jawdokimov ... Dietrich Kleist
... Danny Royce (as Daniel Webb)
... Frank Longman
See full cast »
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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:

member of parliament | political thriller | journalism | cover up | newspaper reporter | See All (59) »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Thriller

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

21 November 1986 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Defense of the Realm  »

Filming Locations:

 »
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Box Office

Gross USA:

$750,000
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

, ,  »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Gabriel Byrne once said of his scene-stealing co-star in this film "never act with children, dogs, or Denholm Elliott!" See more »

Goofs

While details are secret, it is generally assumed that a nuclear weapon has to be 'armed' before it would explode.

It would be absurd to have bombs in an aircraft that would wipe out the entire airbase if an aircraft crashed on landing. 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 »

Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: La Bamba/The Whistle Blower/Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise/Jean De Florette (1987) See more »

Soundtracks

Passion Chorale
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
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User Reviews

Makes you think
16 December 2002 | by – See all my reviews

If ever any one was in doubt that democratic governments may not be averse to using the occasional dirty tricks then this film is an eye opener. Based around a busy news paper office this is the story of one mans crusade to make sure a scandal involving a cabinet minister is not pushed under the carpet. The story is full of twists and turns as our intrepid hero gets the bit between his teeth but the powers that be haul in him and judge for yourself the meaning of their words. A must for any one into political thrillers.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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