The Fourth Protocol (1987)

It seems that "The Eagle has Landed" did not sneak into my collection alone, but apparently hand-in-hand with another Michael Caine thriller which I could vaguely recall from a previous viewing.  In this one he's a definite goodie, playing a British spy out to stop a fiendish Russian infiltrator; he's much more in his Caine persona here, as a bolshy loner on the job who has no time for the political games of his superiors.  However we are also shown his soft side as the single parent (presumably widowed) of a young boy.  The Russian is played by a youngish Pierce Brosnan, who is a trained and talented cold assassin; his job is to breach the "fourth protocol" at a U.S. army base in England -- which appears to be the act of setting off an atomic device without warning -- to undermine the NATO alliance.  Only Caine, without the approval of the acting head of the secret service, can prevent this disaster, and the tension builds as Brosnan prepares to carry out his mission and Caine draws nearer.  Like "Eagle", this too is based on a best-seller (by Frederick Forsyth) and the action broadens out to cover a wide range of characters in both the KGB and MI5, most of whom have their own personal agendas for the outcome of the storyline; a great assortment of character actors too, including Ned Beatty, Julian Glover, Ray McNally, Michael Gough, and the always chilling Ian Richardson. It's all a little convoluted and not quite honest with the viewer, which frankly weakens any strong recommendation, but pleasant enough as a time-waster.  

Tags: Movie, Michael Caine