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.

Defence of the Realm (1986)
  • Rating: (1,100 votes)
  • Tagline:Just how far will a government go to hide the truth? »
  • Runtime:96 minutes
  • Director: David Drury
  • Country:UK
  • Actors:
    Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen
    Gabriel Byrne
    Nina Beckman
    Greta Scacchi
    Vernon Bayliss
    Denholm Elliott
    Dennis Markham
    Ian Bannen
    Victor Kingsbrook
    Fulton Mackay
    Jack Macleod
    Bill Paterson
    Harry Champion
    David Calder
    Arnold Reece
    Frederick Treves
    Leo McAskey
    Robbie Coltrane
    Trudy Markham
    Annabel Leventon
  • Genre:Thriller
  • Producers:
    Robin Douet
    producer  
    Lynda Myles
    producer  
    David Puttnam
    executive producer  
  • Plot: 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>
Defence of the Realm
  • User's comment:tight and watchable thriller disappoints at the end by didi-5

    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.


  • Quotes: Vernon Bayliss: Vodka and Coca-Cola. Detente in a glass! Ministry Man: You would agree, would you not, that certain things bearing on the defence of the realm are best left unsaid. Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen: If you mean covered up, no, I wouldn't.
  • Also known as: A Defesa do Reino (Brazil - cable TV title), A birodalom védelme (Hungary), Atom, Lüge und was kommt danach? (Germany - TV title), Button - Im Sumpf der Atommafia (West Germany), Conspiración para el silencio (Argentina), Defence of the Realm (France), Defense of the Realm (USA), Dilema de um Jornalista (Brazil - video box title), Dossier confidenziale (Italy), Em Defesa da Nação (Portugal), Em Defesa da Verdade (Brazil), En defensa del reino (Spain), Für die Sicherheit des Königreichs (West Germany), Katastasi ektaktou anagis (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Obrona królestwa (Poland), Valtakunnan puolustus (Finland),

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