The Fourth Protocol (film)

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This article is about the 1987 movie. For the novel, see The Fourth Protocol. For the computer game, see The Fourth Protocol (video game).
The Fourth Protocol
Directed by John Mackenzie
Produced by Timothy Burrill
Written by Frederick Forsyth (book)
George Axelrod
Richard Burridge (additional material)
Starring Michael Caine
Pierce Brosnan
Ned Beatty
Joanna Cassidy
Julian Glover
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Cinematography Phil Meheux
Editing by Graham Walker
Release date(s) (1987)
Running time 119 min.
Language English
IMDb profile

The Fourth Protocol is a 1987 Cold War spy film starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan, based on the novel The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The plot centres on a secret 1968 East-West agreement to halt nuclear proliferation. One of the clauses, the Fourth Protocol, forbids the non-conventional delivery of a nuclear weapon to a target.

MI-5 agent John Preston (Michael Caine) breaks into the residence of British government official George Berenson on New Years' Eve and finds a number of top secret NATO files that should not have been there. He reports his findings to high-ranking British Secret Service official Sir Nigel Irvine (Ian Richardson), who deals with the leak. However, Preston's unauthorized action has embarrassed the acting-Director of MI-5, Brian Harcourt-Smith (Julian Glover), so for his insubordination, Preston is relegated to lowly "Airports and Ports".

Meanwhile, KGB agent Major Valeri Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan) is sent on a mission to England personally by General Govershin (Alan North), the head of the KGB. One of Govershin's subordinates, Borisov (Ned Beatty), complains about his espionage department being stripped of resources and personnel, particularly his star agent Petrofsky, to his old friend General Karpov (Ray McAnally). The surprised Karpov quietly investigates and learns Petrofsky's unsanctioned mission - to violate the Fourth Protocol by assembling and detonating an atomic device so that it will appear to be an accident at an American base. It is intended to strain Anglo-American relations and strengthen the anti-nuclear movement in advance of an election.

In Glasgow, a Russian sailor is struck by a truck while fleeing from a port guard. Among the dead man's possessions, Preston finds a disk of polonium, which can only be a component of a detonator for an atomic bomb. He informs Harcourt-Smith, but is promptly suspended, as Harcourt-Smith believes that Preston is manufacturing a fake incident to work his way back into MI-5. Luckily however, he has the confidence of Sir Bernard Hemmings (Michael Gough), the gravely-ill Director of MI-5. Preston sets to work and eventually comes across Winkler, a known Czech KGB agent, and tails him from the airport.

Meanwhile, Petrofsky meets another KGB agent, Irina Vassilievna (Joanna Cassidy), a bomb expert who pretends to be his wife. Under her guidance, they assemble the device from seemingly-harmless items. She sets it on a two-hour delay. Unbeknownst to Petrofsky, however, she later resets the delay to zero. After sleeping with each other, she interrupts him while he is reading instructions to get rid of her. Before she can warn him about the double cross, he kills her.

Afterwards, Petrofsky is observed contacting Winkler. The British follow Petrofsky to Ipswich, lose him, then find him again. Preston eventually realises that Petrofsky's target is RAF Baywater, and locates Petrofsky's house, which lies right next to the base.

When Petrofsky starts to activate the bomb, on an impulse, he checks the timer first and realises he has been betrayed. At that moment, British agents storm the house. After a desperate struggle, Preston subdues Petrofsky. However, much to Preston's outrage, another agent cold-bloodedly kills the spy, explaining afterwards that he had orders to do so.

Hemmings dies. At his funeral, Preston is unsurprised to find Irvine secretly meeting with General Karpov. Preston had become suspicious when known agent Winkler was used as a courier, making it easy to follow him, and when Petrofsky was killed instead of captured for questioning. He surmised that discrediting Govershin would benefit the two men before him. However, Preston does not see any point to exposing them and leaves after expressing his contempt for their cynical powerplay.

[edit] Differences from the novel

In the book, arch-traitor Kim Philby hatches the plan to topple the Conservative government and bring the unilateralist (at the time) Labour party to power. The Philby of the novel is in charge of the execution of Plan Aurora, whereas in the film, he is shot dead by the Soviets during the film's opening scene.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Locations

Much of the movie was shot in the Heelands district of Milton Keynes, notably the A-frame house from "Homeworld 81". It is nowhere near RAF Greenham Common cruise missile base.

Towards the end of the movie, the car chase actually takes place in Ipswich. One shot shows helicopters flying under the Orwell Bridge which is often considered a local landmark.