The Jigsaw Man (1983) British espionage film starring Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier and Robert Powell. Directed by Terence Young, it was based on a novel by Dorothea Bennett and the screenplay was by Jo Eisinger.
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Sir Philip Kimberly, the former head of the British Secret Service who defected to Russia, is given plastic surgery and sent back to Britain by the KGB to retrieve some vital documents. With the documents in hand, he instead plays MI6 and the KGB off against each other.
The director Terence Young decided to cast Michael Caine to play the lead role. The second major role went to Laurence Olivier, thus reuniting the two actors who had previously received Academy Award nominations for their roles in the acclaimed Sleuth in 1972. The Jigsaw Man had a troubled filming history. Filming began in 1982 but the film hit financial troubles, and was reportedly shut down due to cash difficulties. Laurence Olivier, who had been ill on and off since the late 1970's, collapsed on set.[1] He also apparently walked away from the film after receiving no pay, with Caine following not long after. The actors returned when $4 million was secured as finance by Mahmud Sipra, an international entrepreneur.
The film was given a 15 rating by the BBFC in August 1983 and was released by Thorn EMI. The Jigsaw Man was released in DVD format in 2002 by Prism Leisure with the special features being limited to chapter selection options.
Originally Mike Hodges was going to direct The Jigsaw Man which could have been Mike Hodges and Michael Caine's third film after their cult classics Get Carter (1971) and Pulp (1972).
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