Second outing for Len Deighton's agent Harry Palmer, with Michael Caine reprising his role from "The Ipcress File" in another convoluted spy yarn set, obviously in Berlin marrying the then topical subjects of East-West defections and Nazi-hunting in another tense, Cold War thriller.
As you'd expect, everyone, apart from Harry and his taciturn boss Ross, isn't who they seem but as before, our bespectacled, rain-coated hero manages to get ahead of the game by the end, with the usual trail of dead bodies in his wake.
Atmospherically shot in location in West Berlin, "Funeral In Berlin" might lack the in-vogue 60's brain-washing gimmickry of its predecessor and that film's nail-biting (or should that be hand-gouging) conclusion, but its emphasis on realism works to its advantage. Cleverly directed by erstwhile Bond director Guy Hamilton, even the Palmer-girl gets to keep her clothes on and there are of course no Q-type gadgets to rely on.
Caine is, as before, very good in what may be his best role. Some of the other acting isn't quite up to his standard, however with veteran Oscar Hamulka in particular, serving up an overdone slice of Russian ham as the Eastern general. Guy Hamilton directs in a cool, assured, anti-Bond and therefore highly effective style.
Less well-known than "The Ipcress File", but I think it's superior, "Funeral In Berlin" was probably the best of the three Harry Palmer films and stands out itself as one of the best spy-thrillers of its era.
As you'd expect, everyone, apart from Harry and his taciturn boss Ross, isn't who they seem but as before, our bespectacled, rain-coated hero manages to get ahead of the game by the end, with the usual trail of dead bodies in his wake.
Atmospherically shot in location in West Berlin, "Funeral In Berlin" might lack the in-vogue 60's brain-washing gimmickry of its predecessor and that film's nail-biting (or should that be hand-gouging) conclusion, but its emphasis on realism works to its advantage. Cleverly directed by erstwhile Bond director Guy Hamilton, even the Palmer-girl gets to keep her clothes on and there are of course no Q-type gadgets to rely on.
Caine is, as before, very good in what may be his best role. Some of the other acting isn't quite up to his standard, however with veteran Oscar Hamulka in particular, serving up an overdone slice of Russian ham as the Eastern general. Guy Hamilton directs in a cool, assured, anti-Bond and therefore highly effective style.
Less well-known than "The Ipcress File", but I think it's superior, "Funeral In Berlin" was probably the best of the three Harry Palmer films and stands out itself as one of the best spy-thrillers of its era.