The Ipcress File

A scientist disappears from a train, a man dies. Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is one of many investigators on the case, looking for a man named Grantby. He follows a lead to a library where he gets the feeling that something big is at stake here. After a fight with one of Grantby's goons, he returns to his captain with the bad news that he has been unsuccessful. The captain is for obvious reasons, not pleased.

In an abandoned warehouse, Palmer finds a small piece of tape with the name IPCRESS on, but at this point in the movie, has no idea what it means, if anything. Later on, though, he learns that it is an abbreviation of "Induction of Psychoneuroses by Conditioned Reflex Under Stress". When a scientist suddenly appears, with a strange...

Slow but still engaging British spy thriller that is almost completely carried by Michael Caine more so than the story. Still, well directed by Sidney J. Furie and now interested in checking out the other Harry Palmer films with Caine. 3.5/5

"Harry Palmer" (Michael Caine) has a reputation with his boss "Ross" (Guy Doleman) of being a bit of a pain in the neck. It comes as as source of great delight, then, when he gets to redeploy him into the department of "Dalby" (Nigel Green). His task? Well it seems that there's quite a sophisticated operation going on to kidnap and brainwash some of the top scientists of the day. "Palmer" is a bit sceptical about the whole thing - not least because he thinks he's been chosen in the hope that he won't come out alive... Anyway, as his investigation progresses he starts to smell quite a large rat in his organisation and realises that neither his old nor his new boss entirely trust one another! Can he stay alive long enough to solve the puzzle?...