A reluctant but sharp-witted British agent is tasked with investigating the kidnapping and brainwashing of top scientists.
Harry Palmer (Michael Caine), a cynical and insubordinate army sergeant co-opted into intelligence work, is assigned to investigate the alarming disappearance of several high-level British scientists. Under the direction of his superior, Dalby (Nigel Green), Palmer discovers that the kidnapped men have been subjected to sophisticated brainwashing techniques. As he delves deeper into the conspiracy, he finds himself in a world of shocking betrayal that involves American CIA agents and casts suspicion on his own superiors. Palmer’s mission becomes a desperate race to expose the plot before he is captured and becomes the next victim of the titular psychological torture.
As an antidote to the glamour of the James Bond series, this Cold War thriller established a new kind of cinematic spy. Based on the novel by Len Deighton, the film’s power rests on the character of Harry Palmer: a working-class, bespectacled agent more concerned with his expenses than with saving the world. Director Sidney J. Furie’s stylish direction, employing off-kilter camera angles, creates a persistent feeling of paranoia. This unease is amplified by John Barry’s tense score. The result is a defining British film of the 1960s, a story that grounds espionage in a world of bureaucratic friction and psychological warfare.
Production Co: Universal / 109 mins / 1965
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Producer: Harry Saltzman
Screenplay: Bill Canaway, James Doran
Cinematography: Otto Heller
Music: John Barry
Main Cast: Michael Caine (Harry Palmer), Nigel Green (Dalby), Guy Doleman (Ross), Gordon Jackson (Carswell), Sue Lloyd (Jean), Aubrey Richards (Radcliffe)
