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)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Secret agent Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is blackmailed into working for MI5 again on his wildest - and most dangerous - assignment yet. An insane oil billionaire, intent on destroying Communism by starting a new world war, is close to achieving his goal with the help of the world's largest, and mostpowerful, computer. Harry is the only man who may be able to stop him; but as he races from London to Finland to Latvia to Texas and back, he must determine who of his supposed allies (a sexy Russianagent, a Soviet colonel and an American mercenary) is the one he can actually trust! (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
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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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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Gallery (26)
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