The Whistle Blower
| The Whistle Blower | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Simon Langton |
| Produced by | Geoffrey Reeve |
| Written by |
John Hale (book) Julian Bond |
| Starring | |
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Release date
|
December 1986 (UK) 10 July 1987 (USA) |
|
Running time
|
100 minutes |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,500,000 |
The Whistle Blower is a 1986 British spy thriller film starring Michael Caine and based on the novel of the same name by John Hale. It was directed by Simon Langton, the son of actor David Langton, who co-stars in the film.
Frank Jones (Caine) is a retired British naval officer and Korean War veteran, who is now a businessman. His bright but naive and idealistic son, Robert (Nigel Havers), works as a linguist at GCHQ, the top secret British intelligence listening station, using his love of Russian to listen to various pieces of communication on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
The film opens on Remembrance Day in Whitehall, as the war veterans line up to walk past the Cenotaph, then moves back to a conversation between Frank and his son at Robert's flat some months earlier, where Robert tells Frank that strange things are happening at GCHQ, and he's planning on leaving and marrying an older woman called Cynthia (Felicity Dean) with whom he's fallen in love.
Robert says a Soviet mole was found, and that security is all over the place encouraging people to rat on each other. The higher ups seem convinced that if they don't do something, their American friends in the CIA will stop working with them. Frank isn't thrilled over the marriage plans, and he tells his son before he leaves that it's unlikely anything off key can be happening in the agency. It's obvious that Frank loves his son deeply and wants him to be happy, whatever he may choose for himself.
The scene cuts to a room in British Intelligence, where operatives including Bruce (Gordon Jackson) are listening to a tape recording of the conversation between Frank and his son.
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Wikipedia