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In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
Gary Oldman: George Smiley
Tinker. Tailor. Soldier. Spy. John le Carré's spy thriller comes alive on the screen, given the professional capacity and swift brush stroke required, from director Tomas Alfredson. The casting is a revelation resulting in acting worthy for recognition in any film festival or award ceremony. Who could portray the character George Smiley, echo and honour the original Alec Guiness performance, and completely morph himself into the character; Obviously it has to be only one: The chameleon and legendary Gary Oldman.
Imagine history coming alive on the big screen, a film which graces an age of espionage which relives and retreads the days of the cold war. Secrets, mysteries, and corruption within our own hierarchy that is MI6.
Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, David Dencik all give electric turns as the puppeteers pulling strings. They make us wonder, who can we trust? If anyone.
The complexities of the story and the to-the-point dialogue shroud the audience in a meticulous cage of ambivalence. This is a very dark time. An uncertain time. Mark Strong shows how his character Jim Prideaux can fall victim to betrayal and how personal feelings can never triumph over doing your duty.
John le Carré's The Constant Gardner adaptation on the big screen screamed twists, turns and a web of deceit from a corrupt corporation and pharmaceutical short cuts. With Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy we see the same style of storytelling which keeps us hooked from start to finish because while we watch we do our best to keep a few steps ahead, and more often than not, fail miserably.
There is a sequence, a sort of dream-like montage which in my mind sums up the cold war and the level of confusion. We have a Lenin dressed Santa Claus, (a paradoxical stab at communism meeting consumerism) and all the MI6 staff are singing the Soviet anthem. We see John Hurt, one of the top men, bewildered at times from paranoia. George Smiley emotionally detached and cocooned, even to the point he is aware of an affair regarding his wife and a colleague. The thing about George Smiley, he knows when to act and he knows in this time how to wait. The montage shows the agony of such waiting. A chilling portrait of the cold war period and also a reflection regarding the psyche of our protagonist. The duality is present in the characters as well as the environments they inhabit.
The younger actors hold their ground amongst the other titans: Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy show they can act and deliver as well as anyone. They have the energy and charisma required.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of the film masterpieces to come out this year filmed with dizzying precision and care. It is a rendering and journey into a world of secrets, espionage, betrayal, murder, and stasis. Those who have the patience required and the intellectual appreciation for such a journey will devour this adaptation and be bewitched by an Oscar worthy performance from Gary Oldman who completely transforms into the enigmatic George Smiley.
This film is definitely one for repeated viewings because it has so much to offer, so much for audiences to process, and so many twists and turns that looking away could result in missing a detail which made all the difference to your understanding.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy shows how derisively hot the cold war could be and it deserves your attention on the premise that you will learn as well as be entertained by such a complex story with electrifying performances.
''Things aren't always what they seem.''
9/10
