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The Fourth Protocol

Play trailer Poster for The Fourth Protocol R 1987 1h 58m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
British spy John Preston (Michael Caine), recently demoted by his boss for a well-intentioned but unsanctioned mission, stumbles onto a covert plot by KGB agent Valeri Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan), who is attempting to build and detonate a nuclear bomb on British soil and blame it on the Americans. With the support of the ailing MI5 director, Preston, who is still at odds with several of his superiors, attempts to uncover and thwart the plot before it's too late.

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Derek Malcolm Guardian This is a pretty boring piece of work, festooned with articulate actors given 30 seconds flat to make their mark and feeling the pinch a bit. Mar 14, 2023 Full Review Victoria Mather Daily Telegraph (UK) The Fourth Protocol is a good, old-fashioned thriller. Which is what is wrong with it. Movies have come in from the cold war now, yet "Protocol" in essence lukewarms up the format. Mar 14, 2023 Full Review Wally Hammond Time Out What is missing is any real tension or psychological detail that might lend plausibility to all the hocus-pocus about East-West political and military intrigue. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Richard Freedman Newhouse News Service Caine, as always, is a joy to watch, whether grimly tracking his man, telling off his supercilious boss, or, sloshed on New Year's Eve, blowing a wall safe in a posh London pad. Nov 5, 2019 Full Review Cathy Burke United Press International The Fourth Protocol not only does what a good spy movie should do, twist and turn through treachery and deceit to the inevitable surprising conclusion, it also does what any good movie should do, entertain by telling a good story well. Oct 10, 2016 Full Review TV Guide A competent, if unremarkable, espionage thriller that is enjoyable while it lasts and forgotten moments after the credits roll. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 12, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (102) audience reviews
Charles L Yes Worth A Watch Caine and Bronson are good together Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/24/24 Full Review Shawndell J Excellent Cold War thriller. Very young Pierce Brosnan already positioning himself as a spy film prodigy to include being the 5th iteration of James Bond. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review Colin M Spy drama involving Britain and Russia. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/15/24 Full Review xx x Pretty good spy thriller. Better than some newer spy films- The Gray Man I am looking at you. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Stewart C I put The Fourth Protocol in the "good but with room for improvement" category of movies. Like most films derived from the works of Frederick Forsyth, it has a great plot that actually sounds plausible (no mean feat for a film based around nuclear weapons). Also, Pierce Brosnan is fantastic as KGB agent Valeri Petrofsky. However, The Fourth Protocol could have benefited from several improvements. The first is an increased budget and better production values. The film looks like a TV movie when it should have been a big-budget thriller. The second is a fresh screenplay. This film sullies its great plot through poor storytelling. The dialogue could have done with a polish, too. The third is a change of director. John Mackenzie's work on The Long Good Friday was, I think most people would agree, superb. However, I think he was out of his depth with The Fourth Protocol. A director like John McTiernan (the man responsible for Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, among other things) would have been a better choice. The fourth is a major casting overhaul. Aside from Michael Caine (who is always good value), Pierce Brosnan, Julian Glover, and Ian Richardson, the cast is, well, forgettable. In a film like The Fourth Protocol, it is important that the audience can remember who a particular character is and what he or she has done. As such, it is vitally important to cast actors and actresses who make an impression. The Fourth Protocol fails to do this and suffers as a result. For me, the Fourth Protocol is one of the few films that could warrant a remake. Address some of the problems I mentioned above and re-work the story to fit into modern times (although let's face it, the Russian angle could still work in today's climate) and you'd have a pretty exciting film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/19/22 Full Review paul d The Fourth Protocol is a very good spy thriller, with well-developed characters, an excellent, believable premise, and a good story. The film is entirely believable, with no superheroes, no James Bond, and no obvious special effects. Both Brosnan and Caine are excellent, and Joanna Cassidy has a small but crucial role as a mysterious and businesslike Russian scientist. The supporting cast of Russian and British are also convincing. The film proceeds at an excellent pace, with a score that highlights the suspense. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Fourth Protocol

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Movie Info

Synopsis British spy John Preston (Michael Caine), recently demoted by his boss for a well-intentioned but unsanctioned mission, stumbles onto a covert plot by KGB agent Valeri Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan), who is attempting to build and detonate a nuclear bomb on British soil and blame it on the Americans. With the support of the ailing MI5 director, Preston, who is still at odds with several of his superiors, attempts to uncover and thwart the plot before it's too late.
Director
John Mackenzie
Production Co
Fourth Protocol
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.4M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Surround