Agent of Influence (2002)

1964. It's the height of the Cold War. Beyond the extremes of the Americans and the Soviets on opposing sides, other nations, such as Canada, are caught somewhere in the middle of the war. ... See full summary »

Director:

Michel Poulette

Writers:

Ken Chubb (story editor), Ian Adams

Stars:

Christopher Plummer, Marina Orsini, Ted Whittall

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Plummer	...	John Watkins
Marina Orsini	...	Diane Fletcher
Ted Whittall	...	Robert Madison
Shaun Johnston	...	David Present
Kurtis Sanheim	...	Sean Fitzpatrick
Alain Goulem	...	Murray Fletcher
Terry Lawrence	...	Chris Hayden
Paul Coeur	...	Charles Adair
Gregory Hlady	...	Gregory Aloysha
Cas Anvar	...	Khamal Rashid
Norman Edge	...	Fletcher Sr.
Pierre Rivard	...	Mario Béliveau
Al Holt	...	Charles Blackburn
Doug MacLeod	...	James Jesus Angleton (as Douglas MacLeod)
John Dunn-Hill	...	Andrei Gromyko

Storyline

1964. It's the height of the Cold War. Beyond the extremes of the Americans and the Soviets on opposing sides, other nations, such as Canada, are caught somewhere in the middle of the war. James Watkins is the Canadian Ambassador to the Soviet Union, and is a personal friend of the Canadian Prime Minister, Nobel Laureate Lester B. Pearson, that friendship the only reason why Watkins took the job in which he would have no interest otherwise. The CIA believes Watkins is working for the Soviets, although they have no conclusive evidence, which they promise to the RCMP they are working on getting. While the Americans want Canadian action taken to neutralize Watkins with or without that evidence, certain factions within Canadian authority see things differently. Inspector David Present, Director of the RCMP's KGB desk, wants to see that evidence from the CIA before taking any action against Watkins, Present who brings in his own biases of the times not directly related to spying per se. ...

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Plot Keywords:

cold war | cia | espionage | canadian soviet relations | canadian russian relations | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Unchain My Heart
Written by Bobby Sharp and Teddy Powell
Used with the permission of B-Sharp Music Company

User Reviews

Some Canadiana in the midst of the Iraq War coverage

Watched this film in mid April on CTV. What an interesting, yet disturbing story of the CIA railroading of a Canadian Ambassador to USSR.

Christopher Plummer is awesome as the Canadian diplomat who's chosen to take a fall and possibly implicate Prime Minister Pearson by the CIA during the middle of the cold war.

Alhtough hammed up for TV, it's incredibly unsettling to know that this kind of McCarthyism was very real. Makes one wonder how much truth is being reported today?

A great made for TV movie. Even a nice twist at the end. Based on a the book by Ian Adams which in turn is based on a true story. I give it an 8/10

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English Romany French Russian

Release Date:

June 2002 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Un agent d'influence

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agent Productions, Alberta Filmworks, Alliance Atlantis Communications

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color