MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

clanciai What struck me from the start when I first saw this film 50 years ago was its dominating stylishness. It has a very particular style of its own all the way, evident in the environment, the fascinating camera angles, the very laconic dialogue, the austere almost militarily disciplined stringency and the total lack of any make up lustre to the characters - as far from Hollywood as possible, especially Michael Caine as Harry Palmer himself, the very opposite of any James Bond or hero agent with his stolid glasses.The stylishness also dominates the composition of the film, which is almost architectural: no action at all to begin with, very careful hints at what is going on, large desolate offices with stiff strictness, and only gradually the intrigue is introduced with the visit to the abandoned factory and Gordon Jackson's first discovery of the secret - and then the shocks start building up, to culminate in the great brainwash scene as an awesome finale.But that on the other hand is the weakness of the film. It's not credible. The stylishness is overdone in artifice and far-fetched methods bordering on absurdity, but it's the book that here goes off into incredibility. The enemy nation for which the spies are working is never mentioned, but Albania is, and Albania was at the time a satellite of Communist China, and it's more credible that China could have contrived an espionage intrigue like this and with those means than Russia.On the whole, it's almost a masterpiece, and it was a great joy to see it again after 50 years and get even more impressed than the first time above all by its artistic qualities.

sammy The Ipcress File is perhaps one of Michael Caine's best films. The principal cast of the movie is gives a great performance. Guy Doleman and Nigel Green in particular are very impressive . The director gives them a considerable amount of screen time and crispy dialogue. The movie is linear and a classic thriller . The pace is easy on the mind and doesn't offend anyone. Many scenes prove that the movie has had a profound influence on 90's thrillers. The treatment of the story is very good as also the depiction of the espionage agencies. Rife with typical British sarcasm and wry humour , the movie never loses ground.To some, however, the climax may seem a trifle stretched out but in all fairness it is well made and directed.All in all a good and entertaining movie.

joeyblue-51953 I am a big fan of Michael Caine, but I do my best to rate and review his films fairly. I first saw this film on television, it was actually a recommendation, and I loved it. I loved the style of it, the pacing, the story and the acting, not to mention that excellent score from John Barry, the main title theme is unforgettable. The locations used in the film make for a unique viewing experience, as does the way that it is shot, it is very 60's, stylish yet dark and mysterious, whilst maintaining a sense of gritty realism, spoiler alert, if you can forgive the fairly dated torture scene, dated it may be, but tense and distressing it is. Having read reviews that suggest that The Ipcress File itself is dated, my argument is that it was a different era, films were different, fashion was different, acting was somewhat different, a slightly dated film should not effect your viewing experience. As I previously mentioned, I am a big fan of Michael Caine, and The Ipcress File would be my favourite Caine film, a classic.

patrick powell I might well be in a minority when I say the almost all 007 James Bond films have left me stone cold. No, that's not even true – I actively dislike many of them. As a Sixties lad I saw some of the early Sean Connery Bonds and soon grew bored of the standard oh-so predictable formula. Later came the jokey Bonds with the bad pubs and fibre-glass scenery and I didn't bother, ever. Why exactly? I have since happened to catch glimpses of several of them on TV when keeping company with my housebound stroke victim stepmother, so I haven't actually not seen them, but I never actively went to the flicks or turned on the TV to watch one. In my view they are tacky, boring crap. The only Bond film I have liked even a little bit was the most recent Daniel Craig offering, Skyfall, but even it's two immediate preceding Craig offerings left me quite cold. So a film such as The Ipcress File is a very welcome change from all that stylised, macho schtick.It is worth noting that The Ipcress File with Michael Caine (who, admittedly, seems to portray no one else on screen but Michael Caine, though as I like him as an actor, that is no bad thing) was also a Sixties film, shot in 1965, but in its deviousness it is in a different league. The plot is pretty standard, but it is in its execution, by director Sidney Furie and his cinematographer Otto Heller (I had to look it up) is good to very good and, in my view at least, it has helped The Ipcress File stand the test of time.There is none of that utterly spurious spy glamour in Furie's (and writer Len Deighton's) spy world – the security services are just another department of the Civil Service for those it employs – and the whole film, when it counts, exudes menace, the lack of focus which is necessarily at the heart of spying – after all no on really knows what's going on.Forty years on it is salutary to reflect on what can be done with imaginative lighting and camera-work. These days there directors have far many more resources to fall back on - not least CGI effects - and all too often still produce nothing but formulaic clunkers.The Ipcress File isn't James Bond, but for that be grateful. If you can catch it and, like me, the whole 007 schtick leaves you cold, watch it. You will most certainly enjoy its ins and outs.