Secret agent Harry Palmer (OscarÂ(r)-winner Michael Caine – Best Supporting Actor, The Cider House Rules, 1999; Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986) 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!
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March 21, 2010
#1
As others have pointed out, the parallels to our current situation alone made this movie worth watching! I’m not sure if I should commend the film for being prescient or sad that it would come to be. (Life should not imitate art- especially when we’re talking crazy world domination nuts.)
Watching that “downhome good boy” Texan nutjob (who controls oil industry around the world; insists he knows more than the intelligence gatherers/military advisor’s at the Pentagon) rant about attacking another country because he doesn’t believe in their ideology and insisting that God was on his side was just too much deja vu for me! I realize this was originally probably supposed to a Hitler reference (the rally references Nazi imagery with the Eagle logo and the flames around a speaker stirring up a frenzy of righteousness) not a commentary on the current American extremist rightwing warhawks.
Having grown up in Reagan’s Cold War era culture I was pleasantly surprised that a film would’ve shown such a sympathetic portrayal of the Soviets. (I guess because it’s a British, not American film.) Since this was a fictional situation, I was able to enjoy the lampooning of the fanatic extremism of American hatred for other ideologies. Especially since our administration given our current ongoing “war” on a vague concept/ideology. You could probably replace the “godless Heathens” (Communists) with the Arab world of today and get the same movie – only by watching our government’s speeches!
It’s interesting to see it from the Latvian’s point of view. The people that the Americans think they are at war with do not want to fight them! The “enemy” is shown as rational and only wanting to eliminate the crazy/brainwashed people that have overdosed on propaganda, that are planning to attack them!
The subplot of war profiteering is also amazingly spot on! We have a character who takes advantage of the situation to make money for himself and overcharges/diverts funds from the people who are supposed be benefiting to his family/friends while pretending to provide a service. (They could just redub this movie and stick in Cheney/Halliburton)
To sum up: we have a privileged fanatical Texan and his religious/conservative militia, we have the reluctant support of the British against a set of people who may have different values but who are willing to remain peaceful towards the US. We have war profiteers encouraging the attack to make money and exploit the people who they claim the will “liberate” and bring “freedom” to by sending in an army.
March 21, 2010
#2
I read the book many years ago, but had to wait over 30 years to see this movie. Two culprits can be blamed for that long exile: Texas and Michael Jackson. The Michael Jackson angle has to do with some Beatles music being used in part of the soundtrack and the high rate of royalties necessary to liberate their use (hopefully, the DVD will have this). The Texas angle comes from the Brits portraying Texans as some square-dancing, KKK-style, Bible-belt wackos. I live in Texas and as a spymovie fanatic in the Sixties, I could not understand how I missed this movie. Viewing revealed all. If this movie was shown anywhere in Texas back then, it would have been boycotted like a post-Lennon diatribe Beatles record. The Russians (make that commie b*st*rds) seem to be the only ones competent, while the anti-communists are bumbling fools and nuts. The cold,cold fate of the misguided Texan liberators was certainly not what any John Wayne-lovin’ Texas audience would want to sit through.
Aside from that…
Michael Caine is as cool as ever as apparently the only sane person in the movie. Ken Russell’s signature cinematography gives $Billion Brain a stylish literal Cold War feel. It’s probably good the series ended with this one, because it was straying further away from the romantic realism of the first Saltzman production. But it’s still an interesting member of the Sixties Spymovie Phenomenon. Even a Texan, now that Ivan has more or less settled down, could enjoy it.
March 21, 2010
#3
I had waited so long for this flick to be released on DVD.I couldn’t believe the scene with the Beatles music had been edited!!! How could this happen!? It’s a crime that Michael Jackson had to mess this up. Despite these dopes screwing with a cool movie,we still get to watch this missing Harry Palmer installment. I wonder why the Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin are out of print. Could it be that they will be released in a box set after we just bought Billion Dollar Brain.They’ll probably throw in the recent inferior Palmer films to make us feel like we’re getting a big bonus.Anyway,getting to see Michael Caine as Harry Palmer again is stii a great treat.
March 21, 2010
#4
Well Harry would mess have you caused now? Or more correctly how did you end up in this mess? Cool plot that really stretches it like walking on thin ice.
March 21, 2010
#5
…and other ideas from the 60′s.
Superb environment and music. For example, the typical furniture. It is also great to see Helsinki in a movie.
Michael Caine is a very good actor, as usual, but the movie is not exciting as “Funeral in Berlin” or “The Odessa file”.