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
Opening Weekend USA:
$19,938, 23 November 1986Gross USA:
$750,000Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$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: You better take a look at that, Vernon.
Vernon Bayliss: Okay, so what does that prove?
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: It proves that your friend was lyin'. He said categorically that he'd never met Kleist before.
Vernon Bayliss: Well, isn't it possible that Kleist could just have been another face in the crowd? That Markham didn't know who he was?
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: Come on, Vernon! There's Markham, there's Kleist.
Vernon Bayliss: Well, that doesn't prove that Markham's a ...
[...]
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
[Mullen shows Bayliss a group photograph in which Markham and Kleist are laughing together at a Prague conference]Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: You better take a look at that, Vernon.
Vernon Bayliss: Okay, so what does that prove?
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: It proves that your friend was lyin'. He said categorically that he'd never met Kleist before.
Vernon Bayliss: Well, isn't it possible that Kleist could just have been another face in the crowd? That Markham didn't know who he was?
Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: Come on, Vernon! There's Markham, there's Kleist.
Vernon Bayliss: Well, that doesn't prove that Markham's a ...
[...]
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 At the Movies: La Bamba/The Whistle Blower/Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise/Jean De Florette (1987) 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.