This big-budget espionage yarn, very loosely based on Soviet spy master Kim Philby, was never shown in British cinemas. Michael Caine plays Sir Philip Kimberly, who has become an embarrassment to his Soviet hosts. However, rather than killing him, they give him a new identity, aided by some radical plastic surgery, and send him to Britain incognito (and in an aeroplane). Will the Brits be fooled? Really! The film, directed by the erratic Terence Young (most successful with Dr No, From Russia With Love and Thunderball), re-teamed Caine with Laurence Olivier a decade after Sleuth but even the most loyal devotees of these two fine actors will be hard pressed to enthuse over their performances here. Susan George as Caine's daughter battles mightily to inject some enthusiasm into the proceedings.


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