Kreuzfeuer der Agenten

This movie is among the last espionage and spy thrillers to be made during the decades of the Soviet Union and Cold War. "The Whistle Blower" won't be remembered far into the future, but some very great movies made in that time will be. Before finishing up on this film, a little review of the period and its subject settings might be of interest.

It's hard to imagine that anyone alive by 2020 would rue the demise of the U.S.S.R. But, since 1990 Hollywood has mostly lost a milieu that hosted a substantial sub-genre of films. The Cold War was the arena for action, mystery spy films. The world was its stage because the tentacles of the Soviet Union reached around the globe, just as Western trade, military security and humanitarian alliances did.

For the first couple of decades after World War II, many stories and movies came out about escapes through the Berlin Wall and other areas along the Iron Curtain. Then there were many films about espionage. Ian Fleming's stories about agent 007, James Bond, were started before the war, but continued until near the end of the century. Many of the James Bond films added another dimension of the fictional life of espionage with the Soviets. "From Russia With Love" of 1963, "You Only Live Twice" of 1967, and "Never Say Never Again" of 1983 starred Sean Connery. Others of half a dozen actors to play Bond included spy thrillers with the Russians - "The Spy Who Loved Me" of 1977 and "Moonraker" of 1979, with Roger Moore.

There were many other dramatic and action stories of espionage based on novels, some historical, others just fiction. Richard Burton starred in the 1965 classic, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold." Michael Caine starred in two successive spy flicks in 1966 and 1967, "Funeral in Berlin" and "Billion Dollar Brain." Burt Lancaster made "Scorpio" in 1973, and Charles Bronson starred in the spy action thriller, "Telefon" of 1977.

Even comedies cashed in - so to speak, on Soviet Union relations and the Cold War. Four films remain among the best satires of all time. Two are before the U.S. got into WW II. "Ninotchka" of 1939 starred Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas, and "Comrade X" of 1940 starred Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr. Then, well into the Cold War just before the Berlin Wall went up, James Cagney and Horst Buchholz starred in "One, Two, Three" in 1961. And three years later, the blockbuster satire, "Dr. Strangelove" came out. It starred Peter Sellers, George C. Scott and a host of other top actors.

Even mystery master filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock got into the making Soviet-era espionage thrillers. Another one of the great films of all time was "North by Northwest" of 1959 that starred Cary Grant, James Mason and Eva Marie Saint. In 1966, Hitchcock made "Torn Curtain" that starred Paul Newman and Julie Andrews; and in 1969, he made "Topaz" that starred Frederick Stafford and Dany Robin.

Some real-life stories of espionage were being uncovered or revealed during that time, but the movies on such spies as Kim Philby and the Cambridge Five wouldn't come out until the 21st century. And, of course there were TV movies and mini-series about Cold War espionage. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War ended, and with it, the Iron Curtain fell. That was the barrier - on paper at first, and then in walls and high security fences that shut off Eastern Europe from the rest of the world. Winston Churchill had coined the name for it while riding a train at night in the U.S. to give a speech. On March 5, 1946, in his speech at Westminster College in Fulton, MO, Churchill used the term, "iron curtain."

"The Whistle Blower" is a British spy thriller in which Michael Caine's character, Frank Jones, shakes up England's intelligence hierarchy. Jones is a Royal Navy career retiree and veteran of the Korean War who starts digging after his son turns up dead. It was supposedly a suicide. But Jones had met with his son recently, and Bob (played by Nigel Havers) had told him that there was a mole in British intelligence.

Bob worked for GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), and said he was going to quit because of the overly suspicious policies being imposed. He says it was so that MI6 would look trustworthy to the American CIA for handling the mole matter. But he says he's worried with what he's heard. He knows the Russian language and listens in on Soviet communications. While Frank thought he was overreacting, when Bob is reported dead from suicide, he decides to investigate himself.

There's plenty of action and intrigue as Frank uncovers the truth. It has a somewhat surprising ending, but one that most viewers may appreciate. This isn't anything along the lines of the best spy films, but those who enjoy this type of film should find it entertaining.

"I still believe the man in the white hat always wins," Bob Jones (Nigel Havers) tells his father (Michael Caine). They'll both have reason to doubt that later on.

Caine plays Frank Jones, a man whose son works as a linguist at GCHQ. A mole for the Russians has been discovered, and since then, Bob Jones has become suspicious that something strange is going on, especially after there are a couple of "suicides." He confides in his father, who is concerned that Bob keep his job in a difficult economy, especially since he wants to marry a young woman with a child. She's in the process of getting a divorce.

When something happens to Bob, Frank tries to get to the bottom of it and learns some ugly truths, particularly when a journalist he is on his way to see meets with an unhappy end.

Michael Caine gives an excellent, touching performance as a man trying to make things right, and Nigel Havers is wonderful as his son. There are spot-on performances by James Fox, John Gielgud, Barry Foster, and Gordon Jackson in his final film.

Very good film, perhaps a bit dated now, with the British trying to keep the Americans as happy allies, and it doesn't give any final or easy answers. The novel was written in 1984, and this film was released in 1987.

A Brit on this board referred to this as a "Michael Caine filler" - I guess he has made a ton of films, but he's always worth seeing.

It was nice to see a film about cold war paranoia that was about the U.K. and not the U.S. Caine is very good, and the script is above average. A good thriller that doesn't resort to inane/unrealistic violence to keep interest.

Michael Caine plays Frank Jones, a war veteran and patriotic British citizen who is shocked to learn about the mysterious death of his son, who had worked as a Russian translator for British Intelligence. Frank reluctantly becomes convinced that his own government had his son killed because he was going to "blow the whistle" on illegal and unethical behavior by his employers. Not deterred by the usual "national security" defense of the killers, Frank is determined to bring his son's killers to justice, whether it be by legal or illegal means...

First-rate conspiracy drama has fine acting by all, and Caine quite believable as the grieving and outraged father. Film makes thoughtful observations about government secrets, and the "who watches the watchers?" debate. Worth seeking out.

I notice that Netflix has this film listed under "Thrillers." It's not a thriller, but rather a fairly complex drama about what happens when people who are schooled not to trust anyone have almost unlimited power with no accountability. There's never a "stupid moment" in this film that reveals to us, the audience, or to Michael Caine as the protagonist, who the bad guys are or what they've done. We have to peel the layers off the onion along with Michael Caine. There is no James Bond ending in which the bad guys' island explodes and collapses into the sea. Instead, there is a real world ending tailored for adults. I liked the film.