20 Spy Movies You Must See Before You Die

This often forgotten spy film, starring Michael Caine as agent Harry Palmer, is one of the genre's best.

Unlike with the Bond movies, which at the time were indulgent and glamorous in all the ways that this film isn't, The Ipcress File shot for a more authentic take on the spy genre, rendering it as a more downbeat and melancholy affair.

Based on the novel of the same name, the plot concerns Caine's sardonic agent as he attempts to prevent a mind-control scheme after a number of top British scientists suddenly quit their jobs unexpectedly. In a way, Palmer stands as the anti-Bond, in that his job involves copious amounts of paperwork; his work is never made to look like a particularly fun or exciting way of paying the rent.

The film was followed by a number of sequels of varying quality, though the direct sequel to this, Funeral in Berlin, is a genuinely worthwhile spy thriller.