This excellent British political thriller not only entertains but also kicks against the establishment of the 1980s. Ambitious newsman Nick Mullen, played by then-newcomer Gabriel Byrne, latches on to a Profumoesque exposé, and a prominent Labour MP (Ian Bannen) resigns. There's a story bigger than Watergate ripe for the writing but can Mullen survive to tell the tale? Director David Drury keeps the plot on a tight rein. In the acting stakes the excellent Byrne is edged out by Denholm Elliott as a dandruffed, alcoholic war horse of the newsroom (he won a BAFTA award for what may be his best work). Although the film-makers were uncertain of the ending, and shot two different, if equally dramatic, finales, this David Puttnam produced film is a home product to be proud of.

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