Defence of the Realm (1985) on Netflix
A London paper reports that Dennis Markham, a Member of Parliament, was seen leaving a woman's home the night an East German military attaché visited. Reporter Nick Mullen works the story.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb6.5/102,810 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Trailer
Plot summary
On a foggy night police chase a car carrying two men; one escapes over a barbed wire fence and the other is caught, while radio bulletins report a country on high alert after a terrorist attack in Ankara. A London paper then reports that Dennis Markham, a Member of Parliament, was seen leaving the home of a woman the same evening an East German military attaché visited her, and his loyalty is questioned. At the paper, Vernon Bayliss, Nick Mullen and Jack Macleod weigh the story. Bayliss is sent to a private meeting with Markham, who does not know of the German connection, while Mullen interviews Nina Beckman, Markham's secretary, and speaks to Markham's wife, pretending at first to be a policeman. Mullen writes the story, which breaks as the Markham Affair.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Defence of the Realm (1985)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Defence of the Realm had a very poor preview screening, after which the Rank Organisation threatened to pull any further finance; David Puttnam persuaded them the preview audience had been correct and that only a few additional days of screening were needed, and Rank agreed.
- The plot of Defence of the Realm mirrors the real-life British spy scandal known as the Profumo affair.
