Today’s quick review: Billion Dollar Brain. Now retired from MI-5, Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) gets pulled back into the spy game when his old friend Leo Newbigen (Karl Malden) recruits him for a job in Helsinki. What begins as an errand turns into an offer to join a radical anti-Communist group headed by a manic billionaire (Ed Begley) and his supercomputer. Now Palmer must find a way to stop the organization before it unwittingly sets off World War III.
Billion Dollar Brain is a spy adventure based on the novel by Len Deighton. It is a tonal departure from the two previous Harry Palmer films. Where The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin were realistic thrillers dealing with Cold War spycraft, Billion Dollar Brain is a larger-than-life romp that has more in common with the James Bond films. Unfortunately, the gamble does not pay off, thanks to the movie’s outlandish plot and lack of style.
Billion Dollar Brain has a few issues that keep it from realizing its vision. The plot is clumsy, dragging Harry from place to place without a clear objective in mind. The premise is outlandish in the same way as most Bond films, but Billion Dollar Brain does not have their action, style, or sense of humor. The result is a disorganized story with a number of worth components that never unite into a compelling whole.
Billion Dollar Brain still has enough going for it to be woth a watch for fans of the genre. The cast is entertaining, the movie can be fun in places, and seeing the plot unfold is still interesting. But Billion Dollar Brain is a clear step down from its more grounded predecessors, while its missing the iconic quality of the Bond films. Discerning viewers would be better off looking elsewhere.
For a sharper spy adventure in the same vein, try Dr. No or Goldfinger. For a smarter, more serious spy thriller with the same characters, try The Ipcress File or Funeral in Berlin. For a full-blown Cold War satire, try Doctor Strangelove.
6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for a shaky plot and tonal issues.