Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
The Whistle Blower (1986)
Director: Simon Langton
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
We've been here before. Bob Jones (Havers) is a translator in the Russian section at GCHQ. Following the trial of an employee, convicted of spying for the Eastern bloc, all personnel are requested to report any inconsistencies in the behaviour of their colleagues, and Bob becomes convinced that British intelligence is no better than the KGB. Meanwhile the CIA, worried about the apparent lack of security in England, begins to act with extreme prejudice. When Bob is bumped off, his father enters the fray to see that justice is done. In this role, Caine glides imperiously along, allowing none of the surrounding dross to tarnish his image. The rest of the cast do not come out of it so well. There are a couple of surprises, and the cynicism prevents the film from becoming overtly old-fashioned, but in general it is dreadful. The locations - Gloucester Cathedral, tourist Cheltenham, the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph - are stagy, the pace is slack, and the script pretentious.Author: MS
Cast & crew
Director: Simon Langton
Producer: Geoffrey Reeve
Cast: Michael Caine, James Fox, Nigel Havers, John Gielgud, Felicity Dean, Barry Foster, Gordon Jackson full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 104 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Review a Coens' movie and win!
A signed copy of the script for 'A Serious Man' is up for grabs, and we want you to look to your inner film reviewer to win it
Ang Lee talks 'Taking Woodstock'
Ang Lee talks to Tom Huddleston about his tale of the men behind history’s greatest music festival
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Sheffield Doc/Fest round-up
Sheffield’s annual Doc/Fest is Britain’s largest documentary festival. Edward Lawrenson learnt a few new things by taking the train north.
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now