The Fourth Protocol (1987)  – excellent Cold War thriller

Director: John Mackenzie

Cast: Michael Caine. Pierce Brosnan. Ian Richardson. Julian Glover.

After the relative period of détente of the late 1970s, the Reagan administration’s talks of the “Evil Empire”, raised the tension in Europe to a new high. In the mid-1980s, “tactical” nuclear missiles were based in Germany and the UK. This was in response to Soviet basing os SS20 missiles in East Germany. The UK and German basing of American controlled tactical nuclear missiles  led to mass protests everywhere for the removal of the missiles.

Pershing and SS-20 became household names, along with the “neutron” bomb or the “capitalist” bomb. In this atmosphere, what would have happened if one of those nuclear warheads stored at a British air base had exploded, causing widespread damage? 

The Fourth Protocol’s core plot is based on this well-founded fear. The KGB Head summons British defector Kim Philby – yes, THAT notorious Philby – for some consultation and has him executed. The officer who killed Philby is shot dead by the best KGB Illegal, Major Valery Petrovsky (Pierce Brosnan). Petrovsky is given clear instructions to report only to the KGB Chairman and no one else.

In England, MI5 man John Preston (Michael Caine) rubs his immediate boss Deputy Director Harcourt Smith (Julian Glover), once too often. Consigned to the backwaters, he confronts Smith with the story of a Polish sailor who died in an accident and was found with Polonium, whose only use is in manufacturing nuclear weapons.

In Russia, Pavel Borisov (Ned Beatty), the head of the Illegals Directorate, complains to his friend, General Yevgeny Karpov ( Ray McNally), about why some of his best Illegal operatives are being pulled, and then nothing is heard of them. Karpov makes his own enquires and soon confirms that the well-maintained legend of James Edward Ross is being used by Petrovsky, who rents a home adjacent to a major air base.

Preston is slowly eased back by Sir Nigel Irvine (Ian Richardson).Irvine asks Preston to pursue the leads. 

The Illegal Petrovsky now is ready for action and awaits the final components which will be brought by a special courier

A small Note on Illegals and Legals: Illegals are trained for years to act, think, and behave as a citizen of the target country. Petrovsky’s spoken English and behaviour would be indistinguishable from that of any British Citizen. They are “Illegals” because they are living under a false identity – the Legend – and can’t expect any legal help from the “mother country”, Russia. “Legals” are KGB spies under diplomatic cover, in the Soviet Embassy/ Consulate. They have diplomatic immunity and if caught, can only expect expulsion, from their target country and will be otherwise unharmed. The Western equivalent of an Illegal is NOC – Non-Official Cover as compared to “official Cover” (diplomatic immunity)

The screenplay by Frederick Forsyth is relatively tight compared to the long book, which goes into exquisite detail about the KGB and the Russian style of functioning. There are quite a few differences between the book and the film. Kim Philby lives in the book while here, he is summarily executed (He died in 1988, a year later,  of natural causes and was given a hero’s send-off in Moscow). There is an investigation of a South African that is shortened considerably here. (and some more that are left out, leading to a much tighter storyline with only two significant points of attention – Preston and Petrovsky/ Ross.) The plot may be very much Cold War, but it still stands up after all these years. The electronics are very much mid-1980s. Today, the humble smartphone has unthinkable possibilities!

Those looking for “action” will be disappointed as this shows spying, especially counterintelligence, as it is, without any glamour. Plodding, laborious, tedious work in fitting together various strands of threads. Here the film is superb in its depiction of the nitty-gritty of the business. (Today, we can imagine everyone with a mobile is a potential spy and a shadower!!). The tension is kept reasonably high for the film’s duration, especially once Petrovsky starts assembling the components from various sources. 

Brosnan is simply superb as Petrovsky/ Ross and must have been an interesting diversion from his then-famous Remington Steele TV Series. We see only Petrovsky,the killer, and not Brosnan. Caine is, as always, superb in his role as the unorthodox, not-by-the-book, borderline insubordinate Preston who gets results and damn the rule book!  

Overall this is one of the better book-to-film transformations, and it was pretty successful at the box office. 

You can watch it here https://bit.ly/427EBbu

Script – 4 out of 5

Story – 4 out of 5

Direction – 4 out of 5

Photography – 4 out of 5

Overall – 4 out of 5

PS : (The same premise – accidental detonation of a nuclear bomb on an American base- is used in the James Bond film Octopussy with all the attendant glamour, chases and impossible stunts).