Directed by:
Sidney J. FurieCinematography:
Otto HellerComposer:
John BarryCast:
Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd, Gordon Jackson, Stanley Meadows, Max Faulkner, Thomas Baptiste, David Glover, Aubrey Richards (more)Plots(1)
Harry Palmer, a stubbornly insolent sergeant working for the Ministry of Defence, is less than thrilled to be transferred under threat of blackmail to an elite counter-intelligence unit. Palmer and the rest of his unit follow the trail of a missing scientist, but when he finds a piece of tape marked 'IPCRESS' in an abandoned warehouse he suddenly becomes a marked man. (Network)
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Reviews (2)
Boring, everyday routine in Her Majesty’s Secret Service where everything apart from the sarcastic hero seems like it was penned by Graham Greene although, as the story progresses, it starts to resemble the work of Richard Condon more and more. And the everyday routine in fact never becomes boring, thanks mainly to Michael Caine’s performance, the dreary London atmosphere and Barry’s soundtrack. On the other hand, I didn’t much like the camerawork that has been praised so much (but it’s true that it is pretty unusual). And don’t try to tell me that the theme music to Dexter isn’t stolen from here; along with the opening credits, the morning routine and also the almost identical musical theme, this just can’t be coincidence, can it?
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So: It's a spy film. A British spy film. Starring Michael Caine, music by John Barry... Could it have gone wrong at all? Looking at director Furie's filmography, in theory, yes. But luckily I saw a top-notch film that I was excited about. Cain's performance, especially in the last third of the film, is absolutely amazing.
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