Salting the Battlefield

2014 1h 33m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 130

ActionDramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

David Hare concludes his trilogy of films about MI5 renegade Johnny Worricker with another fugue on power, secrets and the British establishment. Johnny Worricker goes on the run with Margot Tyrell across Europe, and with the net closing in, the former MI5 man knows his only chance of resolving his problems is to return home and confront prime minister Alec Beasley.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bill Nighy
Johnny Worricker
Helena Bonham Carter
Margot Tyrell
Ralph Fiennes
Prime Minister Alec Beasley
Ewen Bremner
Rollo Madeley
Judy Davis
Jill Tankard
Felicity Jones
Julianne Worricker
Olivia Williams
Belinda Kay
Rupert Graves
Stirling Rogers

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Hare
Writers: David Hare
Languages: German, English, Italian
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Worricker Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Hare, shot by Thomas Townend. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Englishby. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nick Fenton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Hare directs. Thomas Townend behind the camera. Paul Englishby scores. Nick Fenton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in German, English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 12 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Italian.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
4Part of the "The Worricker Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by David Hare, shot by Thomas Townend. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Paul Englishby. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Nick Fenton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt2904626 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Thomas Townend
Original score: Paul Englishby
Editing: Nick Fenton
Production design: Stevie Herbert
Costume design: Louise Stjernsward
Makeup / hair: Jane Oginsky
Sound: Martin Jensen
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Salting the Battlefield (2014)

Part of

The Worricker Collection

The 2011 BBC Two film "Page Eight" was followed in March 2014 by "Turks & Caicos" and "Salting the Battlefield". The three films are jointly known as The Worricker Trilogy. All three films feature Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy), a long-serving MI5 officer, who learns that the Prime Minister knew about secret US rendition camps long before the British intelligence community knew about them. When the PM realises that Johnny knows, Johnny has to flee the country. And while in exile in the tax haven Turks & Caicos, Johnny learns even more disturbing things about the PM, before he has to flee again.