Michael Caine Meets a Billion Dollar Brain

Michael Caine as Harry Palmer.

It was assuredly no easy task to follow in the footsteps of two of the best spy thrillers of the 1960s: The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin. So, one must cut a little slack for Billion Dollar Brain (1967), Michael Caine’s third outing as thief-turned-spy Harry Palmer. 

Since we last saw Palmer, he has become a low-rent private eye working out of a dimly-lit office filled with half-empty food containers. He turns down a offer to spy again for his former boss, Colonel Ross (Guy Doleman), and accepts a job from a computerized voice on the phone. His assignment is to deliver a mysterious package to Helsinki. Palmer learns that his cargo consists of six eggs containing a deadly virus. The recipient is an old Palmer associate named Leo (Karl Malden), who works for a Texas billionaire intent on ending the spread of Communism.

Karl Malden as Leo.

It's a promising opening, but the plot soon goes off the rails with a detour to Latvia, a trip to Texas to see a giant computer, and a brief climatic confrontation on the frozen Baltic Sea. The film's biggest mistake, though, is in relegating Palmer to a pawn in these shenanigans. Part of the fun of the earlier Palmer pictures was that his foes constantly underestimated the intelligent, if reluctant, spy. No one manages to manipulate Palmer in Billion Dollar Brain (unless he wants to be by a beautiful Russian agent). However, he has little impact on what happens in the story.

As Palmer's double-crossing one-time friend, Karl Malden looks lost in a poorly-written role. It's hard to believe that his over-eager, seemingly desperate former CIA agent could survive so long in the espionage business. Malden, an exceptional actor in the right part, was prone to occasional bouts of ham (see also Parrish) and that's sadly the case in Billion Dollar Brain.

 Françoise Dorléac as Anya.

His castmates have little to do, with Françoise Dorléac (Catherine Deneuve's sister) being wasted in an under-developed part. (Alas, that was a problem with many of the male-driven spy thrillers of the decade.) At least, Oskar Homolka has a grand time reprising his Russian army general from Funeral in Berlin in a couple of scenes with Caine. Also, look quickly and you may spot future film stars Donald Sutherland as a computer technician and Susan George as a young girl on a train that interacts with Palmer.

It's interesting to note that Billion Dollar Brain was directed by the frequently flamboyant Ken Russell. At that time in his career, Russell was primarily a television director who wanted to get established in films. Thus, Billion Dollar Brain was basically a "for hire" assignment and, as a result, doesn't bear his usual trademarks. To his credit, Russell makes good use of his outdoor locations shot in Finland and he keeps the plot moving along at a reasonable pace.

Billion Dollar Brain isn't a disaster, but it's a horrible letdown from Caine's two previous Palmer movies. If you enjoyed those, you should probably seek out Billion Dollar Brain so you can complete the original Palmer trilogy. Otherwise, there are better ways to spend your time.

The Ipcress File: "Now, listen to me...."

One of the best "anti-Bond" spy films made in the wake of Goldfinger was--ironically--made by the team that made the Bond movies. The Ipcress File was produced by Harry Saltzman, with music by John Barry, sets designed by Ken Adam, and editing courtesy of Peter Hunt. Yet, where the 007 pictures feature action-packed chases accompanied by pulse-pounding music, The Ipcress File is a moody affair set among the drabbest buildings in London and with a subdued (but memorable) score by Barry. 

Michael Caine stars as Harry Palmer, an Army sergeant detailed to a Ministry of Defence counter-espionage unit. Palmer's file describes him as "insubordinate, insolent, a tricker, with perhaps criminal tendencies." In regard to the "criminal" label, Palmer's superior, Colonel Ross, recruited him from an army brig. However, Palmer is far from a two-bit hoodlum. He is an intelligent man with a taste for gourmet food, an ear for classical music, and an eye for the ladies.

Palmer undergoes brainwashing.

In the film's opening, Colonel Ross informs Palmer that he's being transferred to another department to help investigate the "Brain Drain." Seventeen scientists have disappeared, including one that resurfaces but who can remember nothing about his research. Palmer's investigation uncovers one small clue: a fragment of an audio tape filled with strange sounds and labeled "IPCRESS." 

If The Ipcress File were a Hitchcock movie, then the mysterious audio tape would be the film's "MacGuffin." It's what propels the plot, even though it's not really that interesting once we learn its purpose. In fact, the plot just serves as a framework for the characters, their interactions, and an inside look at the "real world" of spying. The Ipcress File convinces us that spying isn't about fast cars, gadgets, and globe-hopping secret agents. It's about digging through files, conducting mundane surveillance, following suspects, and misleading people. 

The hero is nameless in the novels.

The beauty of The Ipcress File is that it makes this glimpse into the world of mundane espionage engrossing from start to finish. Most of the credit belongs to Len Deighton, who wrote the original novel, and Michael Caine. Although Caine made a solid impression in 1964's Zulu, it's The Ipcress File that propelled him to stardom. He's perfectly cast as the cynical, reluctant, bespectacled Cockney spy who still has a lot to learn about his new occupation.

Jean (Sue Lloyd) in Harry's apartment.

Producer Saltzman surrounds the young Caine with a a well-cast team of veteran performers. Guy Doleman, who plays Ross, appeared later in Thunderball and as one of the No. 2's in The Prisoner. Nigel Green, as Palmer's new superior, starred with Caine in Zulu and played an older Hercules in Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Gordon Jackson, as a fellow agent, would later achieve fame as the butler Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs. The talented Sue Lloyd has a small, but effective role as an icy colleague who may have mixed loyalties. 

Sidney J. Furie's direction has been the source of much discussion among the film's fans. Furie's penchant for bizarre camera angles caused clashes with the traditional Saltzman during the production. I can see what Furie wanted to achieve--by having his camera peer through nooks and crannies, he essentially allowed the viewer to spy upon the spies. However, like Saltzman, I found some of his shots and framing too distracting.

Michael Caine returned as Harry Palmer in two theatrical sequels. Funeral in Berlin (directed by Goldfinger's Guy Hamilton) is as good as, if not better than, The Ipcress File. Unfortunately, the next film in the series, Billion Dollar Brain (1967), is a disaster with typically over-the-top direction from Ken Russell and a comic book villain played by Karl Malden. After a three-decade break, Caine returned as Harry Palmer in two made-for-cable features: Bullet to Beijing (1995) and Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996). Guy Doleman, Oscar Homolka, and Sue Lloyd appear in some of the sequels.