Defense Of The Realm (1986)

When a tawdry sex scandal links a high ranking British politician (Ian Bannen) to a Russian KGB agent, an ambitious journalist (Gabriel Byrne) swiftly gets the story on page one. But his scoop of the decade soon unravels to reveal a government cover up. Directed by David Drury (a British TV director), this is an above average political thriller. Using a fictionalized version of the 1963 Profumo affair as a starting point, the movie then takes a "what if?" scenario as Byrne's newshound finds he's been used as a dupe to prevent a bigger and much more serious event from being exposed. I'm partial to political thrillers like ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, PARALLAX VIEW etc. and this one while not in their league doesn't disappoint. The acting is good, especially Denholm Elliott as an alcoholic journalist who knows more than he's letting on. For this performance, Elliott won the BAFTA for supporting actor. Drury keeps the intensity quotient high and the film's shocker near the end was totally unexpected. With Greta Scacchi, Robbie Coltrane and Fulton Mackay.