The Ipcress File

Ever since I got into consuming spy media, I've been meaning to watch:

The Ipcress File (1965),

and last night I finally got around to doing so.

Based on the debut spy novel by Len Deighton, this British spy thriller is directed by Sidney J. Furie and stars Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd, Gordon Jackson, Frank Gatliff and many more.

We meet Harry Palmer (Caine), an army sergeant who got into legal trouble in Germany but instead of prison was recruited by what I'm guessing is SIS (it isn't mentioned outright). He's a bit of a rogue, has a glib mouth and a tendency to do what he wants. Although this is the 60's so he's actually pretty polite by modern standards. I'm sure it was shocking back then.

An important scientist is kidnapped and it is up to Palmer's unit to find him. Since Palmer is, let's say unconventional, he gets results that quickly spiral out of control and everything heads towards a dramatic climax. That's as far as I can go without spoiling anything.

I'm not very used to 60's cinema, I generally prefer the 70's, but The Ipcress File is good. Low budget to be sure, but they did a lot with what they had. Being British, this isn't a roaring action movie, it's much more subtle than that. What I found interesting is that there isn't really much of a motivation for the bad guys, nothing overtly explained at least.

Michael Caine is brilliant as always, and the rest of the cast is good. Lots of familiar faces for those that watch older British TV and movies. The soundtrack is likewise nice and the cinematography is excellent. I keep saying it, but older movies were shot so much better than modern ones.

There are a couple of interesting facts about this movie I want to share:

The main character in the novel isn't named so Caine & Co had to come up with a name. The producer Harry Salzman and Caine agreed that Harry is a boring name and Caine went to school with a Tommy Palmer who was also apparently boring so the name Harry Palmer was born.

Harry wears glasses which was unusual for a tough guy back then, and he's also an accomplished cook. These two facts together made the movie hard to distribute in the US. It seemed distributors were worried the American audiences would think Harry was gay. For wearing glasses and cooking. Different era indeed, especially since Harry is a real skirt chaser.

The director and the producer fought constantly, to the point where Caine and Salzman had to jump in a Rolls-Royce to chase down a bus. Furie had stormed off and gotten on that bus, and they desperately needed him back.

So, do I recommend this movie? Oh yes! It is a bit dated but in a fun way. It's not quite up to the quality of Tinker Tailor, but what spy drama is? The Ipcress File does what it does with style, and I look forward to checking out the other movies in the Harry Palmer series.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!