This adaptation of the Len Deighton novel gave a big boost to the career of Sir Michael Caine, who stars as a reluctant secret agent named Harry Palmer. Palmer is brought on board a particularly strange case. A fair number of Western scientists are being kidnapped, then reappearing days later, brainwashed and completely useless. Palmer, a calm, unflappable, unemotional type, is also known for being insubordinate, insolent, and larcenous. He tends to think that he was selected for this mission because he's seen as expendable.
In sharp contrast to the James Bond films of the time, there are few major action set pieces here; as directed by the Canadian-born Sidney J. Furie, this is played much more low-key. But it can boast a respectable amount of suspense & atmosphere (especially during the sinister finale), and is fundamentally a solid story related in an entertaining manner. It's extremely well shot in Techniscope by Otto Heller, with especially good use of Dutch angles and camera placement. (Indeed, some of the shots take on a voyeuristic quality.). The score by John Barry is very memorable.
Caine is absolutely perfect in the lead: his Palmer is a relatable, average-Joe type of guy who feels outclassed by his superiors. And he's surrounded by top British talent: Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd, Gordon Jackson (a particular favorite of this viewer, playing the cheery "Jock" Carswell), Frank Gatliff, Aubrey Richards, Stanley Meadows, etc.
Although some of you may be able to figure out some of the developments, the twists that this yarn delivers are still quite entertaining. Overall, this sizes up as one of the best offerings in this genre, and it would lead to the sequels "Funeral in Berlin" & "Billion Dollar Brain", and, decades later, the follow-ups "Bullet to Beijing" & "Midnight in St. Petersburg".
Eight out of 10.
In sharp contrast to the James Bond films of the time, there are few major action set pieces here; as directed by the Canadian-born Sidney J. Furie, this is played much more low-key. But it can boast a respectable amount of suspense & atmosphere (especially during the sinister finale), and is fundamentally a solid story related in an entertaining manner. It's extremely well shot in Techniscope by Otto Heller, with especially good use of Dutch angles and camera placement. (Indeed, some of the shots take on a voyeuristic quality.). The score by John Barry is very memorable.
Caine is absolutely perfect in the lead: his Palmer is a relatable, average-Joe type of guy who feels outclassed by his superiors. And he's surrounded by top British talent: Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd, Gordon Jackson (a particular favorite of this viewer, playing the cheery "Jock" Carswell), Frank Gatliff, Aubrey Richards, Stanley Meadows, etc.
Although some of you may be able to figure out some of the developments, the twists that this yarn delivers are still quite entertaining. Overall, this sizes up as one of the best offerings in this genre, and it would lead to the sequels "Funeral in Berlin" & "Billion Dollar Brain", and, decades later, the follow-ups "Bullet to Beijing" & "Midnight in St. Petersburg".
Eight out of 10.