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      The Whistle Blower

      PG 1987 1 hr. 44 min. Mystery & Thriller List
      90% 10 Reviews Tomatometer 45% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score 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. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      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 Kevin M Great acting, great direction, great movie. Reminds me of Tinker, Tailor. I just have one problem with the plot. I don't think it believable that a career service agent would have a problem with management monitoring a mole instead of outing him. Really? Someone who has signed the secrets act is going to go to the press to blow the whistle on management for being cautious and methodical? I just don't get it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/04/22 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 Not so much a spy thriller as a Cold War character study of a man who becomes disillusioned with the western governments and the lengths they will go to to allegedly protect those government interests from the Soviet Union. Cane performance is wonderful and worth the watch. The portrayal of the British government secret services as Vaudevillian villains twisting the mustaches as they plot was a bit over the top, not that I doubt the western governments have taken such actions and far worse. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 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 Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Whistle Blower

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      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

      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
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 1, 2020
      Sound Mix
      Surround