User reviews

London, in the early 60s, was captured by Sidney Furie in all its splendor. One of the best things in the movie is the fantastic camera work by its cinematographer, Otto Heller. The director and his cameraman place the camera as a sort of "peeping Tom" device. Mr. Furie and Mr. Heller takes us along to spy on Harry Palmer in this satisfying adaptation of Len Deighton's novel. The musical score by John Barry is another element that works well with one is witnessing.

Harry Palmer came alive the way Michael Caine played him. Palmer is a man from humble origins, in sharp contrast with the rest of the people he works for, who are clearly highly educated and who look down on this man because he is different. Mr. Caine is versatile actor whose take on Harry was right on the money. We can't do anything but admire him for making this man so approachable and believable.

The film was blessed with an excellent cast. Nigel Green, who plays Major Dalby makes his character come true with little effort. So does Guy Doleman as Col. Ross. Sue Lloyd, Gordon Jackson, and the rest of the actors give amazing performances.

"The Ipcress File" shows us what London looked like in the sixties. It hasn't changed that much, but all the exteriors used in the film is a joy to watch. That speaks volumes of Otto Heller who had an eye for what to photograph, as everything fit nicely into the context of the film.

Although there are elements most of viewers know from James Bond movies, it is not a clone of them; it was just a mode or manner how spy films in Europe were directed and produced in the 1960ies and later on as well. Rude and drinking cops with poor "kinderstube" or questionable education started to appear in the U.S. films in the 1970ies.

At present, the issue of scientists changing sides or engaging them in creating armament, hacking systems, false objects etc. is still actual, most of it is done through money or promotion, but kidnapping or threats are still available in pariah countries. In the 1960ies, Albania had similar reputation than North-Korea today...

Recommendable to admirers of Michael Caine and/or thrillers without constant chases, bursts or awkward fooling. It is pleasant to recognise that the 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy bears the same nice traditions.

Intriguing espionage drama, based on the Len Deighton novel.

Decent, reasonably complex, plot. Not 100% watertight, but the holes aren't big.

Solid direction by Sidney J Furie. Movie moves along at a decent pace and he builds the tension well. Does miss a few beats though. Some scenes are quite flat and almost pointless.

Good final few scenes which make it all worthwhile and bring everything together.

Good performance by Michael Caine in the lead role. Not your average spy - he is almost the anti-James Bond. Resourceful, but slovenly and, well, human. Seemed much more like a real agent would be than James Bond.

Good support from Nigel Green and Guy Doleman.

Although conceived and produced by Harry Salzman and scored by John Barry, this is a film which deliberately positions itself miles away from the up until this time familiar James Bond espionage ethos. Palmer is a short sighted, class-ridden, form-signing petty criminal, co-opted into the spy service to avoid a year in jail. He lives in a bedsit and wakes up with an alarm call and not a stunning sexual conquest. Unlike Bond too, he operates in an environment which is recognisable and totally believable: big echoing offices ruled by "passed over Majors", where filling out forms is as important as tedious leg work and the idea of a Aston Martin as a company car would be ridiculous. The glamorous stereotypes of 007 have been replaced by the grinding, self effacing reality of the civil service, with its believable day to day grind. In short Ipcress has roots in the contemporary wave of 60's kitchen-sink drama, and not garish Bond fantasies.

This is a film taking a fresh look at what has passed for a spy film before. It's fitting then that a lot of the imagery revolves around sight and seeing. Palmer's glasses are an obvious symbol of imperfect vision (exemplified by a couple of 'blurred vision' special effects in the film). The camera in turn plays avant garde tricks, shooting alternately through the crowded window of a phone booth, through glasses, ornaments and other objects and so on. This is a film in which vision, or *comprehension* - deciphering 'Ipcress' or identifying 'Albania' as really London, for instance - is finally of paramount importance. Palmer has to both see, then understand, the web that surrounds him before he identifies the traitor. At the most basic level this 'knowing' extends to his own self, through the psychological trauma he undergoes.

Class, too, is an important element. Whereas the public school educated Bond would be at home conversing with Palmer's superiors, Palmer is the working class staff man, insubordinate perhaps and cocky, but one who ultimately knows his place. Even the main villain is fairly aristocratic. This makes Palmer's final choice of shot all the more relishable. In the class-ridden snobbery of the secret service it proves to be one of the elite who is suspect and must be killed. Palmer is the better man - and not just morally either: his appreciation of Mozart ('proper' Mozart, too, not the appalling bandstand variety pushed on him by Daulby) and fine cooking, marks him out as a man of taste, in contrast to the surrounding snobbery and elitism.

This theme of class, as well as the locations chosen for 'The Ipcress File' mark it out as a very British spy film - possibly the best one ever in contrast to the Bond cycle, which represented an attempt to create a deliberate trans-Atlantic product. One parallel serves to illustrate this difference: Bond has an American agent friend (Felix Leiter), an occasional minor character in the series. In contrast Palmer shoots an American agent dead by mistake and they tail him in revenge, while another dies in his flat. There is no camaraderie here, and the snug special relationship is nowhere in sight.

Over the years 'The Ipcress File' has lost none of its edge (with the possible exception of the dated 60's psychedelia which confronts Palmer in his torture chair) or punch. Utterly compulsive as a spy drama, it remains one of Caine and Furie's best films, an example of a contemporary fresh approach that still remains a classic.

THE IPCRESS FILE covers familiar territory of a Cold War spy thriller; it contains an incomprehensible plot, a fair share of untrustworthy characters, and a subject (The Ipcress File) which is never satisfactorily explained. Suffice to say that Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) discovers the cause of all the trouble, but only after a considerable degree of suffering at the hands of a torturer (Frank Gatliff).

What makes Sidney J. Furie's film so memorable is its shooting-style (photography by Otto Heller). It makes use of the basic shot- reverse shot sequence, but every frame is partially obscured by an object, or person placed close to the camera; we seldom see the characters' faces in full profile. This strategy helps to create an atmosphere of menace, where nothing is quite as it seems, and every mission suggested to Harry by his two bosses Dalby (Nigel Green) and Ross (Guy Doleman) appears to have ulterior motives behind it that Palmer remains blissfully unaware of. Palmer himself retains his integrity throughout, even if he perceives himself as something of a rebel within the Secret Service.

THE IPCRESS FILE is a direct antithesis of the Bond canon of films, also popular at the time of release. It is set in a grimy, rain- sodden London full of gray buildings and dark interior; no exotic locations for this spy. The most colorful aspect of the mise-en- scene are the big old-fashioned Routemaster buses that drive up and down familiar streets - Piccadilly, Whitehall, Oxford Street. Palmer himself lives in a shabby apartment; his one concession to the so-called 'Swinging Sixties' spirit is an ability to cook, but no one, not least his colleague Jean (Sue Lloyd) seems especially interested.

The film inevitably incorporates some of the sexist attitudes of the time - for Palmer all women are "birds," and they do not become actively involved in any espionage activity. The film is a very masculinist piece, with legions of actors dressed in long coats, trilby hats and dark suits. Palmer himself has a good sartorial sense, but even he adopts the same uniform, especially when in pursuit of the enemy.

Michael Caine, in a pre-ALFIE role, shows all the cockiness characteristic of his youthful period, when he really believed he could challenge the status quo. Whether he succeeds or not is very much open to debate.

Although this film is obviously made on something of a shoestring, there is nothing "kitchen sink about it". The scenes are shot on location in London (I came out of my house one morning, and saw them shooting the film across the road. A friend told me that Michael Caine was in the film, and this turns out to be the film.) This film was made in the wake of the Philby, McLean et al scandal, and the film enters the British class warfare with all guns blazing. You see, these bunch of traitors were not the undependable working class, these were "decent Oxbridge chaps" who had had the finest education and privilege. And it was THEY who had sided with the commies. Similarly, the Profumo affair, where a minister of the Conservative government had been sharing a mistress with a Soviet diplomat, had been a nail in the coffin for the "old British order." If the chaps at the top couldn't be relied on to stay loyal. How about the rabble beneath?

Harry Palmer represents the new kind of British hero, just as Michael Caine represents the new kind of British film actor. Whereas in British action films hitherto, the elite were shown as efficient and brave with their "OK, chaps, in you go. I'll be right behind you;" here they are displayed as duplicitous, inept, and resistant to change. (Listen to the comments made about supermarkets by Col. Ross.) The new order of things is being swept away, as evinced by Major Dalby swinging away to the military band in the park, in a sparsely filled auditorium.

Again and again this theme of "it's the upper classes that are subversive comes up - from the very beginning, when Palmer leaves his lowly flat in Maida Vale's Formosa Street to head for a stakeout in Hamilton Terrace, one of the most exclusive streets in London. When the traitor is revealed at the end, it is a member of the establishment, who apparently believes in the system - not the insubordinate Palmer who continually cocks a snook at the system.

Plenty of interesting imagery here. Notice that it is the "working class" Palmer who is living the most sophisticated life, from the moment he first appears in the memorable scene. Yes, the working class with their regional accents, and studying the racing pages of the newspapers have now got electric kettles, electric coffee grinders, and make their coffee in cafetieres. Another harbinger of the social change to come is the CIA agent, portrayed by a well-dressed Negro who smokes a pipe.

Then there is the irony. The establishment, who hold the lower orders in utter contempt are the ones who embrace communism, a system that is supposed to be on the side of the worker, while it is lower orders, as represented by Palmer, who are trying to stop them.

The spy mystery is just the tip of this iceberg, the interesting things are the changes in society that are going on underneath.

There is a suspicious brain drain in Britain. Scientist Radcliffe is kidnapped off of a train. Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is stuck doing mind-numbing surveillance. His boss Colonel Ross pulls him out after 2 months in the doghouse and transfers him to counter-intelligence headed by paperwork-obsessed Major Dalby. Unconventional Palmer tracks Radcliffe to a warehouse. Radcliffe isn't there but there is a tape labeled IPCRESS. Dalby tells him to open an Ipcress File.

I love the style. I love the bureaucratic side of espionage. I also love Michael Caine's cool demeanor. I love the first two thirds of the movie. The last act is questionable. It's a bit too cheesy. There isn't enough tension. It needs some more action. Also I'm not sure why the conspirators do what they do. It feels different from the first parts of the movie.

This film is fantastic. Many viewers complain that it is a "slow movie", but if you prefer todays 1-second-per-cut non-stop brain-dead action over a solidly crafted intelligent plot slowly unfolding with tons of wit and priceless characters, then okay, be my guest! I found the (extremly) dry witty atmosphere of the movie perfect. Michael Caine just rocks as the cooking British agent that fills in "T-106's" in-between dangerous stake-outs. The British secret service portrayed as a bureaucratic nightmare is hilarious.

The plot has just enough Bond-ish glamor, just the right sense of reality and mystery combined. I can't help myself think: "This is the way it could be in this business." The camera is located at strange places -- giving impressions of being hidden cameras -- and adds to the atmosphere of secret games, unknown dangers and who-can-you-trust. The music is gloomy, big-band jazz; adding coolness and atmosphere.

It's hard to come by, but see it if you can -- hopefully on the big screen somewhere dusty! :-)

Innovative camera positioning and John Barry's simmering music score really do highlight this low-key, but stylish British espionage thriller. The film's alluring instrumental music theme, has got to be one of my favourite cues by Barry. As for the story, it's rather grounded in its mundane reality of shifty characters, calculative murder plots and double-crossings, where more time is spent behind the desk, within briefings and at informative meet-ups. The real flash is indeed brought upon by director's stylised handling (with camera-work that makes you feel like you're part of the action) over anything truly exciting in the plot. Still, the dialogues pack bite and there's enough going on behind the scenes which kept me engaged throughout, and the cast really do make it happen. Michael Caine shows up - dry wit, sharply dressed and an ace in the kitchen. He snugly fits the unassuming spy role which they're going for here. There's also nice support by Nigel Green and Guy Doleman.

An outstanding effort all around...acting, writing, directing, editing, and especially filming. The story (British scientists are being kidnapped and brainwashed) is very topical for the period (height of the Cold War). Michael Caine delivers one of his two best performances (also "Alfie"), and really humanizes Harry Palmer, a mildly crooked guy with a real tough streak who's caught in the middle of an ugly, no-win situation. Nigel Green is also outstanding. The other star of the film is the camera team, who manage to make all the tricky angles work rather than detract from the story. The scene with the Land Rover is one of my all-time favorites. A final touch is the clever spin on British Intelligence, which makes espionage look like a nine-to-five stint, and leaves out the James Bond gadgets and preposterously named sex bombs Bond cavorts with. (Palmer has to sign a chit to get a pistol, and chip in for the office coffee.)

This is one of my all-time favorite films, and is an terrific example of real craft in filmmaking. A definite 10.

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.

The Ipcress File can't rightly be called a classic. Or iconic. Or "landmark". But it is one of those films emblematic or an era, and clearly fondly regarded by many if all the 9 and 10 ratings on IMDB are anything to go by. But one has to wonder how many of those near-perfect scores are awarded from memory, rather than recent reappraisal. It must be that there's an over-abundant nostalgia for the rebellious anti-Bond aspects of the film and/or the supposedly radical working-class / everyman / humdrum makeover of the spy genre. And, yes, Caine brings a certain naughty-boy irreverence to the often po-faced and pretentious world of movie espionage. But, all of that notwithstanding, The Ipcress File is actually seriously dull and very, very silly. Even more silly, if judged against its own aim at s sort of realism, than the Bond films, which never pretend to be anything other than outlandish. The plot of Ipcress is barely there, not much concerned with logic, and never more than lazily superficial. Somebody is stealing Britain's best scientists. Why? We're never told. How? It's pretty vague. Who? Never entirely clear. Caine's Harry Palmer is supposed to be both the anti-Bond, yet till somehow sexy, smart, dangerous, sophisticated, etc. Unfortunately, neither the writer nor the director manage to make much of a case on any level. Palmer is supposed to be a gourmet cook, yet in an extended supermarket scene he buys all kinds of rubbish canned goods, including canned prawn curry - so really not much of a gourmet, even by 60s standards. When Palmer is captured it's at gunpoint in a train compartment, even though he already suspects he's about to be jumped. So not much chop as an undercover agent either. In the one fist-fight sequence (wisely obscured partly by a phone box) he doesn't even equip himself as well as the ex-soldier he's supposed to be. The best you can say about Palmer is that he exhibits slightly more initiative than his colleagues, and he manages not to look bored and impatient when there's nothing happening, which is for long stretches of screen time. If The Ipcress File has anything still to offer it's as a time capsule of an interesting phase in the evolution of male screen heroes, particularly in relation to class in Britain. And, I guess, as a curious footnote in the spy movie genre. Beyond that it's just a very dated, very lame, very unconvincing spy movie.

Michael Caines first outing as secret agent Harry Palmer is set in 60's London. This is not the Psychedelic London of Austin Powers or the Beatles, neither is it the sophisticated aristocratic London of James Bond. This London is drab and populated by civil servants & bedsits. This London is still coming to terms with the end of World War II and the advent of a modern world.

Working Class Palmer is an unwilling Home Office agent with criminal tendencies who is more interested in a pay rise so that he can indulge his true passion, gourmet cooking, than serving his country. His superiors, Ross (played by Guy Doleman) & Dalby (Played by Nigel Green) represent a microcosm of the British Upper & Lower Middle Classes. Palmer is clearly more cultured in his appreciation of food, music(Mozart & Bach) & women, "I like Birds Best" Palmer admits to Courtney played by Sue Lloyd (of Crossroads fame in UK).

Palmers superiors appear uninterested in the fate of their subordinates and this is one reason why the character of Palmer works so well, we are him, he lives our lives and we want him to win through. This perspective is aided by the stunning photography that uses every conceivable camera angle (even views from a light bulb!) to see the world from the characters perspective.

Look out for the supermarket scene between Ross and Palmer, my vote for the most violent use of a supermarket Trolley in a movie.

As Palmer slowly unravels the mysterious disappearance of top government scientists it becomes clear that there is someone close to the top of the British Secret service acting as a double agent. Who is it, Ross or Dalby? Who is Courtney, Palmers love interest, working for?

In the background is a rather sinister looking CIA, who always appear to be one step ahead of the Brits. (A reference to the decline of Britian as a world power and its reliance on America?) Wether intentional or not, this film has captured a London of the 60's that was going through substantial social change, gone are the class paradigms that suggest that the working class could never be cultured, gone is is the unquestioning loyalty to the upper class. This world was forever changed after the war. This is a film I can watch time and time again, if only to watch the title sequence as Palmer gets up for work as if he is going to just another office job.

This is a stylish movie and one of the greatest British films ever made. If you havn't seen it watch it now!

In many ways the James Bond franchise was the personification of 1960s pop culture , no one had seen anything like it before in the movie industry and everyone in the industry tried to emulate the style of the Bond movies . Looking back on these Bond clones they`re laughably dated and even embarrasing and I bet the producers of THE IPCRESS FILE are glad they conciously made Harry Palmer the opposite of Bond

Depending on how you look on it Harry Palmer being the antithesis to 007 is either a good thing or a bad thing . I think it`s both which is a strength and weakness for THE IPCRESS FILE , a strength because we`re shown that intelligence work is composed of nothing more dynamic than sitting in an office all day looking through files and checking out leads ( Factually correct I imagine ) and a weakness because not many film goers will be interested in watching a spy movie involving an agent who spends much of his time behind a desk and there are maybe a bit too many scenes set in an office .

There`s another problem with THE IPCRESS FILE and that`s once you know who the traitor is the surprise only works once , likewise once Harry escapes from his prison cell we`re treated to a shock revelation and I remember thinking this was a very clever plot twist first time I saw it but seeing it again tonight it doesn`t carry much of an impact . Unlike a Bond adventure people aren`t going to rewatch this movie again and again

To be positive though Michael Caine is absolutely superb as Harry Palmer and it`s easy to see why he was an icon of British culture in the 1960s , he plays the part in an understated manner and whoever would have thought someone wearing specs and a raincoat could be quite so cool ? And even though the plot twists are a one trick pony they are clever first time you see them

In the world of spies, there are few secret agents who have become house hold names. 007 and Harry Palmer are two of the more memorable figures. If you are looking for spies who constantly engage beautiful girls and spar with menacing looking Asian thugs, you're in the wrong theater. Books like Len Deighton's "The Impcress File" are designed to be 'the thinking man's secret agent.' Once in, you will follow the exploits of Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) who's background reveals is an ex-burglar and jewel thief who has been recruited from prison by M.I.6 for espionage work. He is a gourmet when it comes to wine, women, foods, beverages and loves classical music. His immediate boss is Colonel Ross (Guy Doleman) who constantly reminds Sargent Palmer he is in the military branch of the secret service and will act accordingly. In this segment, Palmer has been transferred to counter-intelligence work under Major Dalby (Nigal Green) who is investigating the "Brain-Drain" in England. Several top scientists have either been kidnapped or cease to function in the laboratory. Dalby is ordered by Ross to find out why. Dalby assigns Palmer to the case who learns quickly and despite Dalby's policies, has his own way of doing things. Through his inquiries, he learns of a highly experimental but success process which turns people into catatonic zombies. This method is called Induction of Psychoneuroses by Condition reflex under stress or simply Impcress. To complicate Palmer's investigation is the suspicion there is a 'mole or spy inside M.I.6 who is trying his best to discredit or kill Palmer and will go so far as to kidnaps and subject him to the Impcress treatment. If you are looking for a film which requires you to think through a mystery, this is the film for you. Producer Harry Saltzman was extremely successful with the Harry Palmer series and this movie is no exception. With seasoned actors like Sue Lloyd playing Jean Courtney and Gordon Jackson as Carswell, it has garnered enough accolades to render it a classic. ****

Micheal Caine is one of my favorite all time actors, not an action man upgraded but a real actor, as is Anthony Hopkins.

This movie has such an impact on me that I keep hearing Harry Palmer talking day and/or night until long after viewing the movie!

Micheal Caine did not play or act, Micheal Caine is Harry Palmer! I realize that I write more about Caine than the movie I am sorry, I am just too emotional. Character actors come from the UK, thats a fact. Look at successful James Bond actors, I rest my case.

The movie is somewhat slow on moments, its not a USA action movie with a 200 million dollar budget. Its more like reading a book, taking the information to pound on, not looking at explosions and such a destruction of cars, boats, plains, houses and more. If I however do want to see that I choose for the real thing, not CGI!

I should identify that "The Ipcress File" is not the easiest movie to describe; the truth is, it's a little hard to follow. In the role that turned him into a star, Michael Caine plays cockney agent Harry Palmer, hired to investigate the brainwashing of some scientists. I think that's what happened, but the movie confused me a little.

I would say that this movie functions best if you look at it in a historical context. Aside from dealing with the Cold War, we get to see mid-'60s London. Specifically, Palmer lives in a dreary flat but is called to investigate things involving geopolitics.

Some people note that this was around the same time as the James Bond movies but "The Ipcress File" was more intellectual. I guess that in a way it was; James Bond mostly bedded hot babes. But overall, I would recommend watching this movie as a historical reference more than anything.

A truly great British film. Everything works - Michael Caine's spot on cockney spy Harry Palmer, a joker, insubordinate but clever and tough ; a roster of top notch character acting support, particularly Nigel Greene as Harry's unimpressed new boss ; John Barry's score and one of his very best, which adds so much atmosphere and menace; a fiendishly complex plot, with the requisite number of twists. Produced by Harry Saltzman, who also co-produced the James Bond films, but was firmly pitched as the anti-Bond - realistic (well not really) and grubby. A film of the sixties certainly and has a lovely sense of the era, but has not dated and remains an absorbing and exciting watch.

If you ever want to watch a quintessential Michael Caine movie, then this is it.

The way the movie is put together is quite compelling and the story is a good one. But it is all made rewarding by the performance that Caine delivers.

Really worth checking out this old school spy movie :)

I have just watched this movie for the first time and have to say it will also be my last. Please let this poor old movie rest in peace, and for heaven's sake don't encourage anyone else to watch it. Made in a time when TV was a youngster, the glamorous cinema tradition of spy vs spy was a sub genre the public must have craved.

But today things have moved on... a classic? never. The interminable time it took to dial a telephone number, or to put a key in a lock, all in a fabulous Cinemascope closeup, is just plain boring now. Film noir this is not.

We have seen it all before, and done much better than this laughable piece of sad memorabilia from the Sixties.

I would have laughed a lot more if it hadn't have been for the acting chops of the great Gordon Jackson, but even so my chuckling and head shaking hurt, because I really expected the film to be better.

Where do reviewers see the "hip" and "cool" in this movie, when all I see are hackneyed themes and melodramatic silences. I just do not want to watch an actor grind coffee beans and make a coffee in real time.

Goodbye Ipcress File, I'll leave out the Do Not Disturb sign to warn the others!