The State Within (2006)

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The British ambassador to America becomes locked into a tense political firestorm when an airplane explodes while flying over Washington, D.C. in this topical British television series that explores the possibility of a British terrorist operating on American soil. Terrorists have stricken the… More The British ambassador to America becomes locked into a tense political firestorm when an airplane explodes while flying over Washington, D.C. in this topical British television series that explores the possibility of a British terrorist operating on American soil. Terrorists have stricken the stateside skies once again, and as a result the British Embassy is set ablaze by a diplomatic firestorm. Now, as affinities are tangled and interests clash, British Ambassador Mark Brydon (Jason Isaacs) realizes that he is being manipulated by an invisible puppeteer whose sadistic power mongering has become a threat to international security. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 6 hr.
Directed By: Daniel Percival, Michael Offer
Genres: Drama, Television, Mystery & Suspense

On DVD: Feb 27, 2007

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

"The State Within" starts with an airplane crashing outside of Washington, DC, strewing debris all over the Dulles Toll Road. Caught in its wake is British Ambassador Mark Brydon(Jason Isaacs) who futilely tries to rescue a trapped motorist before being dragged away by his… More
"The State Within" starts with an airplane crashing outside of Washington, DC, strewing debris all over the Dulles Toll Road. Caught in its wake is British Ambassador Mark Brydon(Jason Isaacs) who futilely tries to rescue a trapped motorist before being dragged away by his intelligence officer Nicholas Brocklehurst(Ben Daniels). The crash is caused by a bomb apparently set off by a British national who has links to extremists from Tyrgyzstan.(When creating a fictional country, please try to come up with one that is easy to spell. Take Latveria, for instance.) As a result, the Virginia governor calls for the roundup of all British Muslims and Defense Secretary Lynne Warner(Sharon Gless) goes on the warpath. So, while Brydon has these various crises to deal with, there are rumors that he is about to promoted and is therefore advised to steer clear of James Sinclair(Alex Jennings), a Craig Murray-like former ambassador and his former best friend who is advocating for human rights in Tyrgyzstan which suffers under the thumbs of its dictator, President Usman who is closely allied with the United States in the war on terror. "The State Within" is a taut and intelligent, if flawed, political thriller and miniseries that starts awkwardly and ties up its loose ends maybe too neatly, especially a subplot about capital punishment, in a good ending and a better epilogue. With a hero who succeeds by the power of persuasion, not action, the miniseries makes a strong case for diplomacy in a world where no matter how much security there is and how many rights are surrendered, we can never be truly safe. Loyalties are constantly in flux and human lives are sadly never that important to national and business interests. Then again, war profiteering is nothing new, having been around since the first battle. It goes with the territory.

Cast

            Jason Isaacs as Mark Brydon

            Sharon Gless as Lynne Warner

            Ben Daniels as Nicholas Brocklehurst

            Eva Birthistle as Jane Lavery

            Lennie James as Luke Gardner

            Neil Pearson as Phil Lionsdale

            Alex Jennings as James Sinclair

            Genevieve O'Reilly as Caroline Hanley

            Aaron Abrams
            
            Anita Carey
            
            Briony Glassco
            
            Christopher Bolton
            
            David Eisner
            
            David Huband
            
            Emma Campbell
            
            Eva Berthistle
            
            Joe Pingue
            
            Louca Tassone
            
            Marnie McPhail
            
            Michael Rhoades
            
            Nigel Bennett
            
            Noam Jenkins
            
            Patrick Garrow
            
            Peter Snider
            
            Roman Podhora
            
            Ron Lea
            
            Rory O'Shea
            
            Ted Whittall
            
            Todd Sandomirsky
            
            Vijay Mehta
            
            Wayne Downer
            
See full cast