Dir: David Drury | Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Denholm Elliott, Greta Scacchi, Ian Bannen | UK political thriller 96’
Opening with a night scene taking place in East Anglia but rather strangely described by an onscreen caption identifying the location as ‘East England’; back in the capital what follows is a prime example of the didactic political dramas that did so much to tame the iron heel of Thatcherism in eighties Britain.
Although affecting the style of a thriller and enlivened by the presence of the likes of Ian Bannen, Denholm Elliott , Fulton Mackay – and Robbie Coltrane – the film, based on a novel by Martin Stellman, contains my favourite example of a character doing something that one would only ever do in a movie when Gabriel Byrne (SLIGHT SPOILER COMING:) empties a newly opened carton of orange juice (we actually see him take it from the fridge and tear it open so there’s absolutely no doubt that it’s full) straight down the sink rather than into a jug simply to use the empty carton to place documents inside it. @RichardChatten