'Michael Caine cuts a cool dash as the sceptical, working-class secret service man Harry Palmer...stylistically extravagant, slyly anti-American and pays homage to classic movies' Philip French

This espionage thriller represents a landmark in spy movies, jettisoning the excesses of 007 and introducing the sly, dry intelligence agent Harry Palmer, played by Michael Caine, relishing a role that marked him for stardom. The story, based on Len Deighton's novel, centres on Palmer's investigation into British Intelligence security. He's soon enmeshed in a world of double-dealing, kidnap and murder and finds a traitor is operating at the heart of the secret service. Will the mysterious 'Ipcress File' reveal who the traitor is?

Produced by Harry Saltzman (the early Bond movies) and with an evocative score by Academy Award winning John Barry, The Ipcress File emerges as one of cinema's wittiest and grittiest thrillers.