“The Ipcress File” kicks off as a typical espionage story about the search for a missing scientist (hey, that’s kinda what “No Time to Die” is about!), but by the end, it morphs into something that presages the paranoid thrillers of the 1970s. It’s a little slow, but still entertaining, if for no other reason than being able to see Michael Caine cook (both literally and figuratively) before he became a huge star. And thanks to Otto Heller’s terrific cinematography, the movie is never boring; he almost always shoots the action from unique angles, and often views the characters through, under, or around objects that purposefully obscure the foreground.
To get a good representation of film’s vibe (and a hint at that cool cinematography), check out the trailer above, which really wants you to know that Caine is playing the lead. It also very seriously, one word at a time, uses the phrase “You. Are. Being. Ipcressed” as the trailer reaches its climax, which is just objectively funny.
We spoke about this film and many others on today’s episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:
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