Review of The Ipcress File (1965) by Gary B — 07 Aug 2015

Interesting spy film counter point to the sensational James Bond series (incidentally produced by the same man, Harry Saltzman). While Bond films were filled with gadgets, fast cars, beautiful ladies and maniacal villains bent on global domination, this film depicts the spy game as being filled with bureaucrats and rather ordinary of looking villains.

The story revolved around the quietly insubordinate Michael Caine as Harry Palmer who's taken off of a tedious stakeout assignment to investigate a rash of British scientists disappear and re-appear unable or unwilling to do their jobs.

It's a moderately interesting of story, but the fun of the film is Caine as Palmer, who traverses through the film with a kind of smirk and hairs breath away from disrespecting those around him that make the film so fun.

Director Sidney J. Furie also brings a clever amount of style to the film and Bond film regular composer John Barry also lends an excellent score. Not quite a classic film, but Palmer is a classic character who everyone should checkout at some point.