Pierce Brosnan Movie:

				Salesrank: 182589
		Our Price: $29.98
		Used Price: $55.00
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
[Non-U.S. format (PAL) region 2 U.K. DVD - This will not play on many U.S./Canada DVD players (or those from most other countries outside of Europe). You would need a "multi-region" or "region-free" PAL compatible DVD player or computer.] SYNOPSIS: Frederick Forsyth wrote the novel and screenplay for this story about a plot to stage an enormous nuclear accident in England, a catastrophe so large that its source can never be identified but will lead to assumptions that America is behind it. Michael Caine plays an aging intelligence agent who picks up clues that the ingredients for such an apocalypse are being smuggled piece-by-piece into the U.K. But he cannot seem to get his superiors to care. Caine is outstanding in a role that seems tailor-made for him, and Pierce Brosnan is very good as the Russian agent working undercover in England to effect the planned tragedy. The film perfectly captures a spreading suspicion and resentment toward superpower adventurism, even though such sentiments are, in fact, being exploited by the bad guys. Caine, as always, suggests a man walking a narrow line through a gauntlet of moral compromises. SPECIAL FEATURES: This Special Edition U.K. DVD includes a Photo Gallery, 30 Minute featurette including interviews with Michael Caine, Frederick Forsyth and Pierce Brosnan, Trailer, Commentary Track with Frederick Forsyth. (Presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio)

Description of The Fourth Protocol [Region 2]:
Frederick Forsyth wrote the novel and screenplay for this story about a plot to stage an enormous nuclear accident in England, a catastrophe so large that its source can never be identified but will lead to assumptions that America is behind it. Michael Caine plays an aging intelligence agent who picks up clues that the ingredients for such an apocalypse are being smuggled piece-by-piece into the U.K.--but he cannot seem to get his superiors to care. Caine is outstanding in a role that seems tailor-made for him, and Pierce Brosnan is very good as the Russian agent working undercover in England to effect the planned tragedy. The film perfectly captures a spreading suspicion and resentment toward superpower adventurism, even though such sentiments are, in fact, being exploited by the bad guys. Caine, as always, suggests a man walking a narrow line through a gauntlet of moral compromises. --Tom Keogh

The Fourth Protocol [Region 2] Reviews:
Breaking Protocol...
2009-09-24 - The Mid Eighties: Deep within the Soviet Union, star of the "illegals" directorate, Major Valerie Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan), is seconded to take part in a secret mission under the auspice of hard-line KGB chief, Gevorshin (Alan North). The nature of the mission is so potentially incendiary that it has already resulted in the execution of the mission planners who provided research and background...

Meanwhile, in London, unorthodox MI5 agent, John Preston (Michael Caine), finds himself between a rock and a hard place following the abdication and replacement of his former superior, Bernard Hemmings (Michael Gough), by the bureaucratic acting deputy, Harcourt-Smith (Julian Glover). A man devoted to his duty, his son and his country, Preston doggedly pursues a mole leaking classified documents from within the secret service and, as a result of his unorthodox methods, unwittingly finds himself in a position in which he uncovers the truth behind Petrofsky's terrifying mission....

Containing something to the order of only twenty gunshots, one car chase and no CGI at all, John Mackenzie's film of Frederick Forsyth's "The Fourth Protocol" is a cold war thriller of the type that they just don't make any more...and mores the pity.

Attempting to adapt Forsyth's brilliant, labyrinthine tale of plot and counter-plot for the screen was always going to be virtually impossible, but this film, while treating the viewer to a somewhat truncated version of the novel, remains true to it's feeling and vision. No doubt, this can be attributed to the intelligence of the screenplay (which was written by Forsyth himself and "Manchurian Candidate" screenplay alumnus, George Axelrod), John MacKenzie's muscular, spare direction and a stellar cast which boasts such luminaries as Sir Ian Richardson, Ray McAnally, Ned Beatty, Anton Rogers and Joanna Cassidy.

This is a film which is carried by it's actors and they do so superbly; the scene in which the late, great Sir Ian Richardson's serpentine peer of the realm confronts Anton Rogers' petulant civil servant is one of the greatest scenes of understated menace ever committed to celluloid in my humble opinion. Likewise, a young Brosnan gives a superb turn as the coldly calculating Petrofsky (one only wishes that he'd only been allowed to express this kind of ruthlessness during his tenure as Bond) and Caine subtly subverts and reinterprets his "Harry Palmer" persona during his performance as Brosnan's harried, human nemesis.

An espionage tale for those who prefer plot over pyrotechnics, "The Fourth Protocol" remains one of my all time favourite big-screen spy dramas. Watch it and, if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself whistling the menacing Leitmotifs from Lalo Schifrin's memorable score for days afterwards.


Terrific Movie -NOT THIS VERSION
2009-02-28 - Save yourself some grief and order this from Amazon UK.
I did and I'm glad I did.Their version has been digitally
remastered and therefore the pic quality is great.
If you don't have a region free dvd player(I didn't),go to
videohelp.com a get a hack for your dvd player.It will make
it region free.Hope this helps.

DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE
2009-01-11 - I wish I'd seen Sparky's review for this (http://www.amazon.com/review/R33NJA31NBBJLE/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm), because he nails it. This is a poorly transferred version of the film, edited for TV with language edited and terrible commercial breaks inserted. Unfortunately, his review was buried at the bottom of the page and it was only when I started looking for negative comments that I found it. I'm posting this review to increase the likelihood that nobody else gets duped into the digital version of this movie.

The movie itself was decent, but it looks like someone taped this off the television and uploaded it to YouTube. Amazon should be embarrassed to be selling this. It isn't worth $0.99 let alone the $14.99/$2.99 they are charging.

Avoid at all costs.

The Fourth Protocol
2008-10-30 - We received this DVD and were disappointed to find that it was not for this region and the language was spanish.
We emailed the supplier, davede, and returned the product to them on October 7th, requiring a US Postal Service Delivery Confirmation Receipt.
We are waiting for a refund.
Len Tranter

Don't rent THIS verision
2007-04-07 - While this is a reasonably enjoyable bit of spy vs. spy escapism, the quality of this rental download is pathetic. I rented this film to watch on my laptop during a recent airline trip and frankly, I was a bit shocked. It's quite obviously been transferred from a twenty year old edited for TV analog video tape complete with choppy breaks for commercials and awful audio and video quality.

Amazon should really be embarrassed to offer (let alone charge money for) this version. This is certainly not what customers expect when they rent or purchase an Unbox Video. (Thankfully, it's the exception and not the rule)