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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5037115001535
Format: PAL
Number Of Discs: 1
Region Code: 2
Theatrical Release Date: November 21, 1986
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
In the politically charged atmosphere of Margaret Thatcher's Britain, newspaper reporters are hungry for the big story that will make them stars and their newspapers famous. Nick Mullen (Gabriel Byrne in his first starring role) is one such reporter for the London Daily Dispatch. A top member of Parliament (Ian Bannen) is the focus of the latest political scandal: he has been photographed with a prostitute who is known to have Russian contacts. Nick barrels into the scandal full-bore, despite warnings from his mentor (a deft Denholm Elliott). Nick receives a tip that makes his story a front-page item and he quickly becomes a celebrity himself. But as he soon discovers, there is much more to the story than he imagined. Director David Drury (Prime Suspect 3) keeps this highly complex, John le Carré-esque story moving swiftly. The clues are hard to find at times, but it is not because the story is told unclearly; rather, the filmmakers have decided that audiences can think for themselves and piece together the information along with Nick. An overlooked and truly entertaining thinking person's film. --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Defence of the Realm
All about whistle blowing and why everyone should for a better world.
I like Gabriel Byrne and Greta Scacchi so I'm a little prejudiced. I guess this movie shows me up as a frustrated journalist.
I guess I would have done exactly what Gabriel Byrne did and suffer a similar fate.
A British movie with no screaming sirens, roaring helicopters and screeching tires. A break from Bruce Willis.
Very believable but beware of the ending.The Holcroft Covenant
Rating:  - fantastic cold war thriller
i love this movie. really captures the feeling of the early 80's when the cold war was in full swing. Gabriel Byrne, Denholm Elliot and Greta Scacchi are great. demonstrates the value of script and plotting vs explosions and car chases. pay attention because the plot is a little convoluted but all makes sense in the end. similar in feel to "All The President's Men" in that it is investigative journalism driven and plays on our fears of unseen forces and behind the scenes string pullers. highly ... Read More
Rating:  - Not a typical political thriller
This is a tough film to review because on one hand it doesn't take a linear approach to plot/storytelling, which means that the viewer has to fit a lot of the pieces together. But the thing is, there are different approaches to making a film in which the viewer has to fit pieces together.
For example, in "Fear X", with John Turturro, the method used in which the pieces have to be fit together is an intriguing one because, principally, we are given some extremely interesting characters who ... Read More
Rating: - Thriller from Over the Sea
Defense of the Realm is a very interesting movie about the British government and the extent they will go to protect it. Nick Mullen (Gabriel Byrne) is an investigative reporter that has stumbled onto a scandal that could rock the government. When the story unravels to a bigger scandal, his life becomes in danger.
I always am skeptical of these types of film but something about this has a ring of authenticity. Gabriel Byrne always has an intensity about him. In this film he rises to a ... Read More
Rating:  - I Missed Something - Thriller? Chiller? Niether
I am not sure that espionage stories and the thinking person genre fit together very well. This movie is at all times provocative, if only because it gives you so irritatingly little to go on. And the music always swells as if something is finally going to happen and things are going to really start rolling and everything is going to come together and there is going to be some wild getaway down the back alleys of London and you get...cut to next scene with indiscernible clue. This is the kind of movie ... Read More
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![: Defense of the Realm [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kHO6dA9rL._SL160_.jpg)