“The Ipcress File” 1965. Caine’s first go-round as British secret agent Harry Palmer is a non-James Bond affair that revitalized the serious spy film and cemented the actor as one of cinema’s newest and brightest stars.

“Funeral in Berlin” 1966. Reprising his role as Harry Palmer, this second entry in the series is less cinematic, but its labyrinthine tale of political deception and Cold War machinations has Caine at his sarcastic, caustic best.

“Get Carter” 1971. Director Mike Hodges' feature film debut is one of the two finest gangster films ever produced in England; a vicious, unforgiving film with strong, graphic violence and intense sexuality that features Caine as a villainous avenging angel; jaw-dropping sequences and a lascivious lewdness mark this remorseless, hardboiled tale.

“Pulp” 1972. Little-known comedy-drama about a writer of cheap detective novels who gets an assignment to ghostwrite the autobiography of a former movie star, only to see him murdered before the book is finished, forcing the scribbler into the role of real-life sleuth; not entirely successful, but still an intriguing and entertaining picture.

“Hannah and Her Sisters” 1986. Caine received an Academy Award for his performance in director Woody Allen’s acclaimed ensemble chamber piece, a role that displays Caine’s unmatched versatility in a film that ranks as the director’s most charming and sentimental effort.

“Mona Lisa” 1986. Caine plays a ruthless, despicable club owner and pimp in Neil Jordan’s dark drama about personal redemption, featuring expert direction, brilliant staging and superb performances from Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson.

"The Fourth Protocol" 1987. Caine again assumes the role of a British intelligence agent in this unsettling adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s precipitous page-turner about a Russian plot to detonate a nuclear bomb at an American airbase in England; taut and exciting all the way.

“Blue Ice” 1993. Made-for-cable film with Caine as a janitor plotting to steal a cache of diamonds for reasons that are not initially apparent; understated performances and lots of heady twists make this something of a sleeper; Caine, as always, is terrific.

“Blood and Wine” 1996. Jack Nicholson partners with Caine to commit the perfect crime in this downbeat and frequently violent rumination on family and fate, directed with melancholy and menace by Bob Rafelson.

"The Quiet American" 2002. Remake of 1956 film is more faithful to author Graham Greene’s allegory about American involvement in Vietnam; features Caine as a British newspaperman stationed in Saigon who becomes involved with an American aide worker who is probably a CIA agent; beautifully shot with bursts of action, this contemplative film benefits from an aura of mystery and the effective use of symbolism.