The Whistle Blower Movie Review

The British are fascinated with members of its upper classes who continue to enjoy their positions of privilege while betraying Queen and country as Soviet spies. This obsession has evolved into plays and films like Another Country and Blunt, and many books, one of which, by John Hale, was released as The Whistle Blower, starring Michael Caine in the title role. The most intriguing question, why does a pampered aristocrat turn traitor?, is one that screenwriter Julian Bond does not really try to answer in depth. There is still plenty of meat, however, in this gripping story of an agonized father's attempts to uncover the mystery behind the death of his much-loved son. Espionage is shown as a venomous game, mostly populated by players who neither know nor understand its true rules. As always, Michael Caine is excellent as Frank Jones, the businessman whose unquestioning faith in England is shattered by what he learns about her intelligence agencies. He is surrounded by an outstanding cast. James Fox portrays a chilling agent who euphemizes his deadliest work as “assessing the damage.” Nigel Havers, in a slender but memorable role, turns in an appealing performance. Barry Foster's over-the-top style is well suited to his portrait of a man way out of his league. John Gielgud, in a part clearly fashioned after Sir Anthony Blunt, remains a charming puzzle. Intelligence agent Gordon Jackson shares a brief, classy sequence with David Langton. It is stylishly directed, as is the entire movie, by David's son, Simon Langton, in his feature film debut after a long apprenticeship on British television, including Upstairs, Downstairs. One character observes that “the secret world” of British intelligence is “beyond the law.” It is revealing that the Royal Family serves as the film's framing device; royalty has always been an attractive smokescreen for political shenanigans. As Frank Jones, Michael Caine lends an individual's conscience to the cold-blooded spying activities of today. If innocents are murdered when they stumble onto the truth and their bereaved families are neutralized with charges of insanity when they question the wisdom of such policies, if treacherous courtiers have tea with the Queen while intelligence agencies “assess the damage” they have done, the division between good and evil blurs. The Whistle Blower makes a penetrating stab at showing who the enemy might really be.

1987 98m/C GB Michael Caine, Nigel Havers, John Gielgud, James Fox, Felicity Dean, Gordon Jackson, Barry Foster, David Langton; D: Simon Langton; W: Julian Bond; C: Fred Tammes; M: John Scott. VHS, LV, Closed Caption