British mini-series portraying the adventures of real-life spy Lt. Sidney George Reilly (Sam Neill) (1873-1925). The series is a fictionalized account of his exploits. There are twelve episodes and the stories take place in various locales such as Korea, Armenia, Germany, England, United States and Russia.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingWebley Mk VI .455 WebleyFile:Sreilly.jpgReilly (Sam Neill) with Webley Mk VIError creating thumbnail: File missingReilly and one of his compatriots blast off a lock on a cell door. There has been a failed counter-revolution in Moscow and they are freeing a female compatriot who is being held in Lubyanka while everything is in chaos.Lubyanka will later become infamous for being the KGB prison.Error creating thumbnail: File missingReilly (Sam Neill) fires at pursuing Soviet agents sent to arrest him.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Bolshevik hitman prepares to shoot Reilly in London. Reilly (Sam Neill) had escaped the Bolshevik secret police and made it back to London. However the Bolsheviks don't forgive or forget that easily.
After having failed in his attempt to overthrow the Bolshevik goverment in 1918 Reilly (Sam Neill) and one of his compatriots flee to the British Embassy in St. Petersburg. The embassy has been shut down and is staffed by just a skeleton crew of British citizens to include Commander Cromie (Barry Stokes) of his Majesty's Royal Navy. Cromie is acting as the banker for Reilly's operation. With the counter-revolution crushed Bolshevik troops are sent to storm the embassy and if possible arrest Reilly.Commander Cromie refuses to flee deciding instead to defend the embassy and go down with the ship. It's interesting to note that Cromi is armed with two Colt Model 1911 pistols. I assume that they are the models chambered for the .455 Webley Self-Loading Pistol Cartridge.
File:Mannlicher1905.jpgMannlicher Model 1905Error creating thumbnail: File missingAfter returning safely to London Reilly (Sam Neill) picks up a mistress. Alexandra (Lindsay Duncan) is her name but she prefers the nickname "The Plugger." At her request Reilly takes her shopping for a handgun. In downtown London! However it is 1918.She falls for the Mannlicher Model 1905.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAlexandra displays a rather breezy attitude about gun safety. Fortunately it is unloaded.Error creating thumbnail: File missingReilly (Sam Neill) expresses doubt about her choice. It's an Austrian handgun and Austria is at war with England in 1918. He has doubts about the ability to obtain ammo for it.The shopkeeper informs him that he has two boxes of ammo. But she wants it and he buys it for her.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe war is now over. Alexandra realizes that life is dangerous with Reilly and she is returning home to mother.He makes sure she takes her Mannlicher with her.Reilly prefers the Luger.
The Vickers Machine Gun is used as a subsitute for the Maxim Model 1910 Machine gun. Especially in the episodes set in Russia in 1918 when Reilly is trying to overthrow the Bolsheviks. The mini-series was filmed in 1983 in the United Kingdom. It's plausible that it wasn't easy to obtain a Maxim 1910 so the production weapons man had to improvise. The shots of the machine gun are very fast when watching the actual production. With skillful editing the Vickers passes for a Maxim Model 1910.
In the first episode Reilly's mistress has been murdered. He demands answers from the head of British naval intelligence in the man's office. The shotgun is empty but Reilly is making a point. At this point he believes that she might have been ordered murdered becasue of fears that Reilly would have talked to her while in her bed.
