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The Whistle Blower

Play trailer Poster for The Whistle Blower PG 1987 1h 44m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
90% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Robert Jones (Nigel Havers), a Russian linguist working for a British intelligence agency, is found dead, apparently having committed suicide. However, his father, Frank (Michael Caine), fails to believe Robert took his own life so decides to investigate the death himself. Jones' investigations unearth Cold War paranoia and put his own life in danger from government agents whose only agenda is to preserve Britain's foreign relations, no matter what the cost.

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Like a novel by Graham Greene, it isn't really about what happens, but about how the events feel to the characters and how they change them. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Seattle Film Blog In addition to [Michael] Caine's multi-faceted performance, The Whistle Blower benefits from a score that raises the temperature at key moments and low-lit, wood-paneled rooms that convey wealth and privilege as much as secrecy and subterfuge. Rated: 3/4 Dec 10, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A disapproving glance at the corruption snaking its way through U.K. halls of power. Rated: 3/4 Nov 6, 2020 Full Review Ángel Luis Inurria El Pais (Spain) Michael Caine becomes the absolute protagonist of this story. [Full Review in Spanish] Apr 22, 2020 Full Review Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly Brilliant performance by Michael Caine Rated: 4/5 Apr 20, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jul 26, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (27) audience reviews
Doug E I really like great British spy films and this one doesn't disappoint. For better or worse, unlike many of the best (Tinker Tailor Spy) the Whistleblower just has a few characters and threads to disentangle. Which makes an easier if less surprising viewing experience. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/22 Full Review paul d Simon Langton's The Whistle Blower is a very nicely done spy thriller and family drama. Michael Caine gives a great, nuanced and realistic performance. He's a former military man, now a businessman, and the widowed father of an idealistic analyst for the British spy services. A series of moles has embarrassed the spy masters and they have begun relentlessly eating their own, flouting the law in the process, in a paranoid effort to stop leaks and find traitors. This effort catches Caine's son, played well by Nigel Havers, and Caine's reaction is the heart of the story. The supporting cast is excellent, and features James Fox, Gordon Jackson, Kenneth Colley and John Guilgud. As with the vast majority of spy films since the 1970s, we must accept the premise - it is rather hackneyed and tiresome, isn't it ? - that our side is as evil and untrustworthy as our Cold War enemies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A very well made thriller, a little dated but enjoyable! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Solid outing has Caine as the father of a government intelligence translator who is killed by the CIA in order to determine who is selling secrets to the Russians. Favourite part had to be the department heads encouraging staff at Government Communications Headquarters to report anything suspicious their colleagues do, sure to boost morale at the workplace. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Interesting and with a good cast. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member the mid to late 80s saw a lot of excellent British thillers such as The Fourth Protocol,Defense of the realm and on TV Edge of Darkness. This film may not be as good as those but thanks to a straong central performance from Micahel Caine there is enough here to sustain interest . Caine plays Frank Jones an ex army man who fought in Korea and loves and belives in his country. His son Robert played by Nigel Havers is less sure of his national pride and isdetermined to expose dastardly goings on at the highest level. When Robert is found dead it soon emerges that it wasnt suicide and Frank seesk out the turth behind his death. Caine was making some truly awful pictures in the 80s for money and not merit, but here he gives a great performance as a man who when the blinkers are taken off sees that there is soemthing rotten at the heart of his great nation. The supporting cast includes James Fox as a dapper spymaster and Gordon Jackson as a grizzled spook. The film does creak in places and the ending is a little to warpped up for my liking but on the whole this is another solid British thriller. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Whistle Blower

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Movie Info

Synopsis Robert Jones (Nigel Havers), a Russian linguist working for a British intelligence agency, is found dead, apparently having committed suicide. However, his father, Frank (Michael Caine), fails to believe Robert took his own life so decides to investigate the death himself. Jones' investigations unearth Cold War paranoia and put his own life in danger from government agents whose only agenda is to preserve Britain's foreign relations, no matter what the cost.
Director
Simon Langton
Production Co
Portreeve, U.K. Productions Entity
Rating
PG
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2020
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Surround