Defense of the Realm

This is very much the Mixture As Before which wheels out the Usual Suspects, Bannen, Elliott, Calder, etc, and lets them meander through ten reels of Is He, Isn't He, Was He, Wasn't He, Will He, Won't he til it figures the punters have had it up to here at which time it throws in an ambiguous ending. It was a good twenty years since the 'Profumo' affair so the Producers were fairly safe in recycling the idea of a Government Minister and a KGB Officer sharing the sexual favours of the same hooker as the tip of an increasingly larger iceberg. Gabriel Byrne is the 'investigative' journo who discovers, surprise, surprise, that there's more to the story than romps in the hay and minor cover-ups and the whole thing is fairly undemanding for Multiplex regulars who can swallow it whole without missing a beat of their popcorn mastication.

It seemed quite promising, but was hard to follow in places, not helped by one or two outdoor scenes not transforming well onto a TV screen. I'd recorded it, so on several occasions was able to rewind to have another go at understanding it. It might help if I was to watch the entire film again from start to finish, but I can't be bothered. As I understand it, a youth fleeing from the police clambers over a very nasty looking fence onto the runway of an American air base and gets killed by an aircraft that's landing with a nuclear bomb on board. This precipitates an emergency exodus from the base. Cue cover-up, investigated by local MP who gets set up, leading to investigation by reporter. Byrne does well as the reporter, but as is often the case Denholm Elliott impresses the most. Greta Scacchi is very bland.

Well put together, and it will not do your paranoia any good at all! (But then, if you're not a bit paranoid, there's something wrong with you!) Perhaps the characters could do with filling out a little, but on the whole, this is a very well-crafted thriller, to which you have to pay attention, as there are no big info-dumps or exposition: you have to work out a lot for yourself.

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.

This is a wonderfully moody piece, featuring the magnificently brooding Gabriel Byrne as a journo on the trail of sinister conspiracies. Dark, seedy and washed out, with a wealth of British stars, following an intricately woven thread of plot, this is a great example of old-fashioned, restrained British film.

According to the dedication at the end,This film was shot in the offices of The Times and used that papers' staff; in 1986, the time it was shot, the paper's proprietor, Rupert "Dirty Digger" Murdoch had just a bruising year-long strike in which he chased the print unions off site; obviously a condition of being allowed to film was that the film not have an anti-Tory slant; this explains why the "evil" British Government in the film is a Labour government and the disgraced plotician is in the Labour Party; in reality there hadn't been a Labour government in UK since 1979. Murdoch obviously would only allow the film to be made if it attacked the Labour Party (at the time led by Neil Kinnock)

Thoroughly intelligent and chilling conspiracy thriller set in Thatcher's Britain and based on the rumoured just averted nuclear disaster in East Anglia in the 1950s. Almost film noirish in quality, London at night has never seemed so threatening, complemented by a brilliantly edgy musical score.The characterisation and acting are first rate especially by the supporting cast of Ian Bannen Fulton Mackay, Bill Paterson, Robbie Coltrane and above all Denholm Elliot as a washed out alcoholic veteran reporter who is on the brink of uncovering a shocking conspiracy. The portrayal of an old style newspaper office is probably one of the most authentic ever seen in movies. Definitely a film to savour.

With a mouthwatering cast (Gabriel Byrne, Denholm Elliott, Fulton Mackay, David Calder, Ian Bannen, Greta Sacchi, etc.) this film promises a lot and more or less delivers. Set in a newsroom against the backdrop of political scandal and cover-ups, 'Defence of the Realm' keeps you watching and keeps you guessing. It is a shame that the ending is a bit of a let-down, coming far too abruptly and leaving the viewer cheated of a really tight finale. But it is a minor grumble, and although this film is far from a classic there is much to recommend it. And incidentally, good use of music at the moments where a bit of tension is needed.