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Billion Dollar Brain

Play trailer Poster for Billion Dollar Brain 1967 1h 51m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is a former British secret agent who has taken up work as a private detective. An anonymous party hires him to deliver a seemingly normal package to Helsinki. However, he learns that he has been deceived into working for the Secret Service again, and is actually returning stolen virus-infected eggs to a government lab. Palmer is then persuaded to thwart a manic Texas oil baron (Ed Begley) who is planning to attack the Soviet Union with a supercomputer.
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Billion Dollar Brain

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/14/2006
2/4
It is a spy movie that commits the unforgivable sin of losing track of its plot. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 05/24/2024
5/5
…celebrates and detonates familiar spy tropes…classic Caine, a great spy movie, a super-smart view of geo-politics and an eye-popping action spectacle to boot…and not a lot of people know that about Billion Dollar Brain... Go to Full Review
Penelope Houston The Spectator 09/28/2020
Scrambled technique has the effect of a series of evasive mannerisms, to keep anyone from meeting the story head-on. Go to Full Review
Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) 07/01/2014
4/5
A clever, brisk, entertaining spy picture that has a lot more Ken Russell in it than you might suspect. Go to Full Review
Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena 01/11/2010
1/5
No mais fraco exemplar da série, Harry Palmer perde a personalidade irreverente, enfrenta uma ameaça absurda encabeçada por uma caricatura em um filme aborrecido e sem pé nem cabeça. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 11/15/2009
Russell slams the I-Spy trappings into disjunctively eccentric frenzies Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Bruce M @BruceMc Jul 31 Very atmospheric, but narratively is incoherent, plot makes little sense. Third act is a mess. A disappointment. See more Nik75 J May 12 The second half of the movie with Ed Begley, saves the entire film. The first half is way too campy and disjointed. Some good cinematography, but in typical Russell fashion, the plot gets lost. A missed opportunity. It needed to be more in the vein of the first two in the series. See more bob c Jan 22 Len Deighton, Ken Russel, Michael Caine! But it’s junk. First five minutes OK and then fails. See more Harry D @HarryD Jan 16 My recommendation is to take the time you would spend on this and repaint your living room. Watch it dry. At least your living room will have a new coat of paint. No plot, no development of any kind. Not even Michael Caine can save it. He has almost nothing to do. I don’t think it would even make a good Mystery Science Theater 3000 subject. The best part of this rambling pseudo spy film is the stylish artwork in the Doctors apartment. All the rest is forgettable. See more Sabrina F 11/30/2024 I will give Ken Russell this, Billion Dollar Brain is chock full of wintery, Cold War atmosphere. A lot of the scenes are supposed to take place in Finland, Latvia and Russia, though a bit takes place in Texas. The score is on point, conveying the appropriate tone of each scene. I love every scene we get between Harry Palmer and his boss Colonel Ross. They have a contentious relationship, but they also having a grudging respect for one another. There are some good performances here, but that is the extent of my praise. The problem is that the tone and storyline are all over the place. I kept feeling like I was missing a part of the puzzle. It all comes together at the end, but I spent most of the film confused. I am dure the novel makes more sense. I also disliked the odd tonal shifts, The attempts at comedy fell flat for me. Rather commit to a spy parody film and go full camp, or commit to making a serious, moody spy thriller. There was also far too much scenery chewing going on. I can admire beautiful scenery, too, but I watch movies for the storyline, at the end of the day. So, "Dear, Filmmakers, I don't care if your film is pretty. Give me an engaging story first and foremost, and if you make your film a visual feast, even better. But the story should come first." See more CodyZamboni 10/30/2023 Elaborate Harry Palmer sequel, with lots of James Bond like influences, ie, the credit sequence, immense high tech sets, and hundreds of soldier extras. Movie has a campier approach this time, and is a bit over the top with crazed Texan Ed Begley screaming rants against communism and his fascist imagery. But holding it all together is Michael Caine with his smart ass, jaded attitude to the events, the double crosses, authority figures and his need for money. Movie energetically directed by Ken Russell, and has one of the best double piano movie scores ever. The location shooting in Finland really effective in making things look freezing cold. See more Read all reviews
Billion Dollar Brain

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Movie Info

Synopsis Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is a former British secret agent who has taken up work as a private detective. An anonymous party hires him to deliver a seemingly normal package to Helsinki. However, he learns that he has been deceived into working for the Secret Service again, and is actually returning stolen virus-infected eggs to a government lab. Palmer is then persuaded to thwart a manic Texas oil baron (Ed Begley) who is planning to attack the Soviet Union with a supercomputer.
Director
Ken Russell
Producer
Harry Saltzman
Screenwriter
John McGrath
Production Co
Jovera
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 51m
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