Directed by:
Ken RussellScreenplay:
John McGrathComposer:
Richard Rodney BennettCast:
Michael Caine, Karl Malden, Ed Begley, Oskar Homolka, Françoise Dorléac, Guy Doleman, Vladek Sheybal, Paul Tamarin, Donald Sutherland, Susan George (more)Plots(1)
Directed by Ken Russell, this film is the last in a trio of espionage thrillers based on the novels by Len Deighton (it was preceded by The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin) starring Michael Caine as antihero Harry Palmer, who, having left the Secret Service, is now working as a private eye. He is soon sucked into a web of conspiracy involving a far-right American billionaire, General Midwinter (Ed Begley), who plans to wipe out the Communist threat in Latvia using his highly sophisticated computer system. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM))
(more)Reviews (2)
The third Palmer leaves no genre stone unturned. Where originally there was a properly grubby regular spy thriller, now there is a regular (and nicely swinging) straight-up Bond film with all the trimmings. And while not outright bad, it’s not worthy of the first two films.
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The first two Palmer films were very down to earth, with a believable atmosphere and offered a perfect spy spectacle. This third film is different. Very. The only thing that's stayed the same is Caine's Palmer, who handles everything with aplomb, is funny, honest... and so on. But the story is a very, very big fantasy, and it seems more like the filmmakers borrowed it from some unmade Bond movie ("Nazis" from Texas, the supercomputer "brain"...). I understand that a lot of people might be upset about that. But I had a great time, enjoyed the well shot scenes (the ambush of the car with the information is a wonderfully funny affair, the final action on the Baltic supported by the roaring music was breathtaking) and watched the excellent Caine, the good old red charmer Homolka and the slimy Malden... I give it four pure (general) stars.
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