Tom Jolliffe with his five essential Michael Caine roles...As a Brit and a lover of cinema, sometimes it’s good to take the time to fully appreciate some home grown talent. I’m a lover of cinema from all over the world, but British cinema can often be overshadowed by American cinema, with its size 14 shoes and imposing figure (and full wallet) it often casts a big shadow over the rest of the world. However we Brits have contributed our fair share of great films and most certainly our fair share of great thespians. Perhaps one of our most successful home grown talents is Maurice Micklewhite (that’s Michael Caine to the layperson).
Caine, one of our most prolific and successful exports has had over 50 years of big screen outings and as well as being hugely successful as a Hollywood character actor, has led a great deal of Britain’s most iconic films. Having recently inducted the Mrs into the historic study of Caine cinema, I’m here with an essential list for all the un-initiated to take note of. For those who may only know him as Batman’s butler, or the bad guy in Steven Seagal’s directorial debut (and misunderstood masterpiece), this is a guide to the must see Caine films which helped establish his name. With a long, varied and successful career it’s hard to narrow it down to a few films, and you could easily have a list of 30 (maybe more) essentials, but here I’ve picked 5 of Caine’s leading roles.
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The Ipcress FileIn the mid 60’s while James Bond was making cinematic waves, a slew of espionage flicks were being made. Based on Len Deighton’s novel,
The Ipcress File introduced the film world to Harry Palmer, the working class, less glamorous equivalent to Bond. This would prove to be one of the most successful rivals, spawning a further four films (two of which were made for TV).
The Ipcress File is a stylish film shot with unconventional, almost wild abandon by director Sidney J Furie (much to the dismay of producers at the time). It also provided Caine with a platform to lead a big film and he does so with immense charisma. Palmer is a great antithesis to the world of Bond. Harry Palmer is a spy who has to do paper work, attend office briefings, lives in a small flat, cooks himself, and takes public transport. It’s a world away from the gadgets, the Astons and the cat stroking villains. Ironically this film would later serve as part of the inspiration for director Sam Mendes in Bond’s most recent outing,
Skyfall.
Caine is a brilliant everyman and brings Palmer to life brilliantly. He’s reckless but intelligent and just as quick on the draw with a one liner as JB. This is essential Caine and essential British cinema.
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AlfieAlfie saw Caine achieve international recognition and also saw him pick up his first Oscar nomination. He’s thus far picked up two wins and four nominations. After Palmer, Alfie was another iconic character for Caine and a film ahead of its time. It’s a film that still works today and is still fairly prevalent.
Alfie addresses the camera directly, sharing his inner feelings. This is one of Caine’s best performances. The brilliance of this performance is that Alfie is a pretty repugnant character in many ways. He’s not a nice guy, and he’s as selfish as they come but Caine somehow makes this guy quite likeable. It’s a rare gift for an actor to be able to pull off, but Caine manages it here, and the loveable rogue routine would become something of a speciality for him.
Given the time of the production the material becomes quite dark in moments and it’s actually a tough watch at times, but ultimately rewarding thanks to Caine’s magnificent and multi-faceted performance. Despite addressing the audience, Alfie always holds back. There’s a lot of bravado but in several moments, quite brilliantly performed, this is stripped away and we get to see the real, damaged soul that Alfie is.
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The Italian JobThis cracking caper is great entertainment from the first minute. It’s become iconic for the car chases and the mini’s but it’s a very good film aside. Once again Caine is the charming rogue, playing Charlie Croker, out to orchestrate a daring heist in Turin.
In addition to Caine, who leads the film with aplomb, the eclectic cast also sees Benny Hill and Noel Coward appear. Coward chews up scenery as something of an extension of his own persona. The very depiction of the English gentleman, he plays Bridger, the convict who has almost Royalty status within his prison. He has a private cell, private toilet, gourmet dinners and the freedom to go in and out of prison as he pleases. Some might say that’s a depiction of your typical lag these days, at least if you believe the Daily Mail, but the portrayal is humorously over the top to say the least.
The heist itself is well done and of course the iconic mini’s come into play with the great car chases.
The Italian Job is a film most people know a great deal of, even if they haven’t seen it, whether they’ve seen clips, know of the Mini-led car chases or the infamous “cliffhanger” ending.
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Get CarterWhen the swinging 60’s tailed off, there was a noticeable shift in cinema to a more gritty (perhaps grounded, realistic) depiction of the world. Suddenly the glass was not half full but half empty. This was largely true through American and European cinema too.
Get Carter would mark a dramatic shift with Caine, playing a truly dark anti-hero. He’s a character who’s largely irredeemable, hell bent on revenge. Again, he’s a character with a tough exterior that rarely gets broken, but in the rare occasions the façade cracks, Caine is typically immense. Caine has played everything throughout his career. Here he plays total, utter, badass. Intent on finding his brothers killer, Jack Carter will plough through anyone who gets in his way.
The film is a great example of using a time and place to great effect. There’s no romanticism about how the locale is filmed at all, it’s just as is, authentic, real. British cinema does this brilliantly. Set in a depressed, dank Newcastle in the early 70’s, the film looks fantastic. It’s grim but it captures the surroundings in a poor area in a tough economic moment in history, fantastically. As an example it’s a far grittier, grounded and engaging setting than the Stallone American remake of 2000. What’s fantastic about
Carter is it represents many of Brit cinemas strengths, such as a candid, unromantic depiction of an era that we’ve seen in films like
Kes, or more recently
Billy Elliot, and many others, but there’s a classic revenge tale put on top of it. It’s almost a Western in many ways. Again though, aside from the brilliant direction of Mike Hodges, the film is led exquisitely by Caine. Possibly one of the finest films England has produced.
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SleuthThis is a master-class in writing, directing and acting. Based on Anthony Shaffer’s play (he also adapted it to screenplay himself), this tells the tale of a Detective Fiction writer with a love of playing games who invites his wife’s lover round to engage in a battle of wits which may lead to murder.
It takes master craftsmen to put together a film with a cast of two, in one setting, and keep it engrossing from start to finish. In many respects it stays much like a stage play. It’s very economical. Whilst undoubtedly Shaffer and director Joseph L Mankiewicz deserve a lion’s share of the plaudits, it is the strength of Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in the leading roles which carry the film.
Olivier is superb here as the eccentric, playful and slightly disturbed writer, Andrew Wyke. Caine plays Milo a man with a chip on his shoulder and a desire to succeed, but also, something which Wyke underestimates, an immense sense of pride that cannot be damaged without repercussion. The interplay between the two is superb and the film is loaded with twists and turns. In terms of acting honours it’s hard to pick a clear winner, but of course this represented for Caine, a platform to stand toe to toe with one of the greats and match him punch for punch.
Honourable mentions: Every other Caine film (with the exception of any of the
Get Carter and
Sleuth remakes which he also starred in). Seriously… even in a bad film, Caine is still great.
Agree? Disagree? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the list...Tom Jolliffe
