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Michael Caine starred as British spy Harry Palmer in five movies (three in the 1960s and two in 1995 -- try figuring that one out), most of which were based on Len Deighton's novels. Funeral in Berlin is the follow-up to The Ipcress File, a well-received spy thriller and the only one of the series anyone has ever seen.
Palmer is a reluctant agent, serving as a spy in lieu of spending time behind bars for some unknown crime. This time out, he's sent to East Berlin (remember when there was an East Berlin?) to retrieve a defecting Russian general, by devising a phony funeral. As a former crook, Palmer is unconventional. He talks back to his bosses, he doublecrosses his partners, and he drinks Lowenbrau instead of martinis.
His movie also gets confusing -- after the defection goes awry and a competing agent reveals alternative plans, my interest began to wane. Harry Palmer is indeed a unique spy, and Caine lends a kooky, swingin' 60s, pre-Austin Powers spin to the genre, but I'll take the overblown theatrics of James Bond instead.
