On F List of Movie Reviews

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Funeral in Berlin (1966)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 6/25

6/25: The Ipcress File or...Funeral in Berlin?

That's a toughie. Both are excellent espionage thrillers. The plot of each is tightly controlled without becoming too convoluted. Filled with deep intelligence, it's a case of spies, counterspies, and traitors. Nothing is ever predictable.

Once again, Michael Caine is perfect as the dumb-looking Harry Palmer who's so much better and more realistic than James Bond. I like the supporting cast as well. Oscar Homolka should get credit for playing Colonel Stok. Paul Hubschmid and Hugh Burden have surprised me in the long run.

Of anything, I didn't expect the switcheroo with the dead body in the coffin. It takes a lot of patience to sit through the goings-on, and eventually, the plot will clear up in terms of who's doing the backstabbing and how Harry Palmer has found himself in the middle of it. The biggest bonus is the location shots of Berlin during the middle of the Cold War.

All in all, Funeral in Berlin is a can't-miss for fans of The Ipcress File, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and, most of all, Michael Caine.

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