Michael Caine finds there’s more than weak lemon drink in his flask in this ditzy sequel to The Ipcress File, directed with the usual “bravura”, “gusto” and “verve” by Ken Russell – no wait, it’s actually all right, this one, if only for fantastic cartoon credits from Maurice ‘Bond titles’ Binder, and a great reel-to-reel set for the titular computer (“a mere abacus, mention it not!”), so we’d like to correct our earlier dismissal of this film in our Funeral in Berlin billing as ‘cobblers’, as, even though it’s fairly on the money, it’s the sort of term the Sun used to dismiss Blackeyes, which isn’t really ‘us’, we’re sure you’ll agree (even though that usage was also fairly on the money). So, for one billing only, Ken Russell – Creamguide (films) salutes you (albeit only for working with some good title and production designers in this one particular instance, and next time Altered States, or better yet, one of your interminable classical biopics comes on we’ll be back to haughtily reminding everyone how you’re now reduced to making unreleasable, semi-pornographic short films in your back garden with a few mates and a camcorder, because we can be insufferably pompous, too).
