1965 / Sidney J. Furie > Kind of a pity that most people will know Michael Caine for being Batman’s butler rather than the sublime counter-espionage agent Harry Palmer. The Ipcress File finds a middle ground between bitterness of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and the flashiness of James Bond in creating a calculated experience with a certain suave demeanor. Palmer doesn’t ask for his Martini to be shaken but instead is adept at cooking a meal for two and solving some mysteries while he’s at it. If you’ve never experienced Caine in his heyday, the Palmer series is apparently tops, though I’ll reserve further judgment until I get around to watching Funeral in Berlin.