Today’s quick review: The Fourth Protocol. British intelligence agent John Preston (Michael Caine) earns the ire of his superior (Julian Glover) with his proactive behavior. Demoted to security work, Preston stumbles across a Russian courier carrying part of a nuclear detonator. This alarming discovery puts him on the trail of Major Valeri Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan), a cold-hearted KGB spy who has been sent to England to set off an atomic bomb.
The Fourth Protocol is a spy thriller based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth. Michael Caine stars as John Preston, a veteran spy whose persistence could be the only thing standing between NATO and crisis. Pierce Brosnan plays opposite him as Valeri Petrofsky, a skilled infiltrator who will stop at nothing to complete his mission. The Fourth Protocol delivers a winding plot with some decent tension, but it lacks the creativity to stand out.
The Fourth Protocol spends a lot of time moving its pieces into place. Preston’s investigation, Petrofsky’s mission, and the political maneuvering behind the scenes unfold gradually over the course of the film. The movie gets its tension from this indirect build-up: As Preston wrestles with MI-5’s internal politics, Petrofsky gets closer and closer to assembling the bomb. The result is a competently handled thriller that never goes beyond the basics.
The Fourth Protocol is a fine pick for those interested in a Cold War-era race against the clock. The movie falls somewhere between the two extremes of the spy genre, with higher stakes and more action than the realistic side of the genre, but not as much style and spectacle as a Bond-style adventure. If you are fine with this compromise, The Fourth Protocol is a worthwhile watch. Those looking for something more memorable should look elsewhere.
For a more action-packed thriller about a missing nuclear weapon, try The Peacemaker. For a more down-to-earth spy thriller starring Michael Caine, check out The Ipcress File or Funeral in Berlin. For a more adventurous spy movie with one of the same stars, try Billion Dollar Brain, GoldenEye, or Die Another Day.
6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for a decent plot with little to set it apart.