Blow your whistle!

Introduction

My name is Michael Caine, and I also used to star in mid 1980s "thrillers" like this. But sometimes I wished that I hadn`t.

The Whistle Blower tells the story of Robert "Bob" Jones (played by Nigel Havers). He is a Russian translator at GCHQ in Cheltenham, where all is not sweetness and light. Some operatives suspected of being double agents have recently met with a grisly end, and most of the staff at GCHQ are under suspicion and under surveillance.

Jones tells this to his father Frank, played by Caine, a man who has served his country well in the past. Are Bob`s suspicions misguided, or is there really something going on? Frank might just be about to be drawn into a world he didn`t want to get in to.

Video

Another day, another MGM catalogue title so you can guess what`s coming. An anamorphic transfer which seems to be framed somewhere around 1.74:1 (i.e. it`s slightly less wide than most widescreen TV broadcasts). There is some print damage along the way, as well as some grainy moments, but there are some also some nice colours, and some reasonable levels of detail.

Audio

A DD2.0 stereo soundtrack which is rather dull and uninspiring. All dialogue is clear and crisp, and everything is audible. The soundtrack isn`t very exciting and doesn`t really add anything to the film overall.

Features

Not a single thing.

Conclusion

A dull and tedious "thriller". The subject matter is rather uninspiring, and the film just plods along whilst meandering around it, making the experience of watching like wading through the obligatory treacle. It`s so dated, but it is not one of those films that has aged well. Nigel Havers just plays Nigel Havers, and most of the other characters are instantly forgettable as pale stereotypes.

The only redeeming feature is Michael Caine, who turns in another good performance despite what he`s given to work with. His transition during this film is another example of why he has been held in high regard for so long. He does get to liven up a bit, and his character`s calm, calculated way of going about things comes across well.

On the whole this is a forgettable film on a forgettable DVD. Avoid.