Defence of the Realm

Name: Defence of the Realm
Genre: Action, Thriller
Released: 1986-05-09
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Rating: 6.5
Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Greta Scacchi, Denholm Elliott, Ian Bannen, Fulton Mackay

1986·Movie·PG·96 min·★ 6.5(41)

Action Thriller More English titles

“Just how far will a government go to hide the truth?”

A reporter named Mullen 'stumbles' onto a story linking a prominent Member of Parliament to a KGB agent and a near-nuclear disaster involving a teenage runaway and a U.S. Air Force base. Has there been a Government cover-up? Mullen teams up with Vernon Bayliss, an old hack, and Nina Beckam, the MP's assistant, to find out the truth.

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Where to watch Defence of the Realm in United States

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Click a service to open Defence of the Realm there. Availability last verified on June 21, 2026.

Where is Defence of the Realm streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tubi TV	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Canada	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tubi TV	Apple TV Store
Australia	—	Apple TV Store
Spain	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	—
Brazil	Looke, Oldflix, Looke Amazon Channel, NetMovies	—

About Defence of the Realm

Defence of the Realm is a 1986 English-language action and thriller film directed by David Drury. The cast is led by Gabriel Byrne, Greta Scacchi, Denholm Elliott. It has a runtime of 1h 36m. In United States, it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tubi TV.

Defence of the Realm was produced by Enigma Productions, The Rank Organisation, and National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) and made in United Kingdom. It was released on May 9, 1986, and carries a PG certification. At the box office it grossed around $1 million worldwide.

Director: David Drury
Writers: Martin Stellman
Release date: May 9, 1986
Original language: English
Age rating: PG
Status: Released
Country: United Kingdom
Box office: $1 million
Production: Enigma Productions, The Rank Organisation, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC)

#kgb#reporter#death#newspaper man#member of parliament

Defence of the Realm cast & crew

Defence of the Realm was directed by David Drury and written by Martin Stellman.

The cast features Gabriel Byrne as Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen, Greta Scacchi as Nina Beckman, Denholm Elliott as Vernon Bayliss, Ian Bannen as Dennis Markham, Fulton Mackay as Victor Kingsbrook, and Bill Paterson as Jack Macleod.

Behind the camera, cinematography is by Roger Deakins and it was produced by Robin Douet and Lynda Myles.

Is Defence of the Realm worth watching?

At 1h 36m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy action and thriller, Defence of the Realm is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Defence of the Realm

In United States, you can stream Defence of the Realm on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and Tubi TV, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.