History Literature / TheFourthProtocol

* HorribleJudgeofCharacter: Brian Harcourt-Smith is judged as this by his peers. [[spoiler: They don't mind his political aspirations, but his ignoring of Preston's findings (which include polonium, a component used in nuclear bombs) is held against him in the aftermath of the discovery and attack on Petrofsky. Because of this, he is denied succession of MI6.]]

* CacophonyCoverup: A safecracker breaks into an apartment while the owner is away in the country for New Year's Day, and waits till the stroke of midnight before setting off the charge that blows open his safe, covered by the fireworks and general outburst of revelry.

* TheResenter: Brian Harcourt-Smith is noted to have a major chip on his shoulder, and part of his ambition is to become part of the British Elite. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him as, afterward, the "Wise Men" decide that while his actions to suppress the Preston Report and discounting the Glasglow intercept weren't sinister, it shows two lapses of judgement and he does not become Director. He later resigns and joins the board of a merchant bank in London.]]

* TheResenter: Brian Harcourt-Smith is noted to have a major chip on his shoulder, and part of his ambition is to become part of the British Elite. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him as, afterward, the "Wise Men" decide that while his actions to suppress the Preston Report and discounting the Glasglow intercept wasn't sinister, it showed two lapses of judgement and he does not become Director. He later resigns and joins the board of a merchant bank in London.]]

* AdaptationalVillainy: It would be a stretch to call it that considering neither Irvine nor Karpov wanted the plan to succeed, but the ending of the film has them appear to be in it together for their own personal gain. In the novel, Sir Nigel Irvine retires at the end of the year while Karpov's own career advancement is just a side-benefit to preventing the General Secretary from personally benefiting at the cost of both countries. Also, in the novel, Irvine doesn't blow off Preston and gives him a full explanation and even a better paying job.

* PhotographicMemory: [=MI6=] employs Ms Blodwyn to identify anyone anywhere with his incredible memory.

* SexlessMarriage: The jeweler, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, was a victim of mutilation and cannot have sex. His wife knew this from the outset and accepted it, satisfying her physical needs (with her husband's knowledge) with discrete affairs. One of these is with the jewelry thief Rawlins, who she met through his "business" with the jeweler himself.

* ReassignedToAntarctica: Preston is reassigned to Ports and Airports, [[ReassignmentBackfire but this puts him in a position]] to search for the other bomb couriers. He's then forced to go on leave.

* TheKillerWasLeftHanded: [=MI5=] investigator John Preston is investigating Jan Marais, a South African diplomat he believes to be a [[TheMole Soviet agent]], but the South African authorities have thoroughly investigated his background and found nothing amiss. Preston comes up with a plausible theory on how Marais was replaced by a Soviet agent while a prisoner in World War II, but is told it's just speculation. Preston shows them a photograph of Jan Marais taken on a cricket pitch as a youth, where he's gripping the ball as a left-handed spin bowler. He says he's had Marais under surveillance for months, and the man is right-handed.

* TheResenter: Brian Harcourt-Smith is noted to have a major chip on his shoulder, and part of his ambition is to become part of the British

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: George Berenson, caught providing nuclear secrets to two South Africans. He's unrepentant till he learns he was a victim of a Soviet FalseFlagOperation, and then speaks this word for word.

* NotSoDifferent: Caine's character tells off the KGB and SIS spymasters for this.

* PhotographicMemory: MI6 employs Ms Blodwyn to identify anyone anywhere with his incredible memory.

* RewardedasaTraitorDeserves: Jan Marais's ultimate fate.

* YouKnowTooMuch: Petrofsky has been told the bomb has a timer, but it's actually set to go off immediately. When the SAS raid his house, their leader executes him, because a deal has been made to cover up the Soviet Union's role in the affair.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A British government official is caught providing nuclear secrets to two South Africans. He's unrepentant, saying the only issue that matters is the struggle against global communism, and South Africa's "[[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra unfashionable domestic policies]]" shouldn't be held against it. He breaks down when he finds out who the South Africans '''really''' worked for.

* TakingYouWithMe: Petrofsky is shocked when he finds [[AssassinsAreAlwaysBetrayed the timer has been set to zero]], but the SAS choose that moment to blast through the door, so he does his best to fulfill the mission.

* TheChessmaster: Sir Nigel Irvine is ultimately a step ahead of everyone. When he turns Berenson, he uses him to manipulate General Karpov into blowing Plan Aurora and junking all the intelligence he had gathered through Marais. He manages this using false intelligence, a rumor, and keeping Berenson out of prison. He also sends himself a false message to get what he wants from MI5.

* HeadphonesEqualIsolation: One of the MI5 Watchers is wearing headphones while tailing a suspect, so he will appear not to be paying attention to his surroundings.

* AdaptationDistillation: The film drops the burglary, the search for the leak, and digging up evidence of TheMole in South Africa. Instead MI5 already know who the traitor is, and the film opens with Caine's character committing the burglary to make him contact and thus identify his handler. Also the communist plot to take over Britain is removed as well.

* TheKillerWasLeftHanded: [=MI5=] investigator John Preston is investigating Jan Marais, a South African diplomat he believes to be a [[TheMole Soviet agent]], but the South African authorities have thoroughly investigated his background and found nothing amiss. Preston comes up with a plausible theory on how Marais was replaced by a Soviet agent while a prisoner in World War II, but is told it's just speculation. Preston shows them a photograph of Jan Marais taken on a cricket pitch as a youth, where he's gripping the ball as a left-handed spin bowler. He says he's had Marais under surveillance for months, and the man is right-handed.

* DeadDrop: There's on in a pizzeria, forcing the Watchers to follow every delivery to find out who is getting them.

* TheChessmaster: Sir Nigel Irvine is ultimately a step ahead of everyone. When he turns Berenson, he uses him to manipulate Karpov into blowing Plan Aurora and junking all the intelligence he had gathered through Marias.

* YouKnowTooMuch: Even more than the novel, where only Petrofsky and the KGB atomic specialist are set up to be killed. The movie opens with Kim Philby (who planned the operation) getting shot (TakeThat, you dirty traitor!), then the man who executed Philby is killed by Petrofsky, then an innocent bystander who walks in on Petrofsky picking up one of the parts, then Vassilievna, and finally the bomb is set to detonate the moment Petrofsky activates it.