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It’s a beautifully done film from a technical standpoint, and I normally don’t mind slowly moving, cerebral-minded films, but there was something about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy that almost put me to sleep multiple times. I left the theater thinking of it as very expensive Ambien, although nowhere near as bad as The Iron Lady, which was much shorter and felt far more laborious to get through.
I will say this about it, while I couldn’t get into the film’s particular groove, I did appreciate all of the technical aspects about it. The cinematography is absolutely stunning. The de-saturated colors give the film an anemic, withdrawn, and carefully modulated tone, which is utterly appropriate for the material. Hair and makeup are expertly done. Mark Strong’s balding comb-over looks incredibly convincing, and Tom Hardy’s frosted and feathered blonde hair makes him look like all of those 70s-era boy toy pin-ups. The costumes are incredibly accurate to the time period and add to the overall impression. And each of the performances are carefully controlled, but are still fine examples of pyrotechnic acting. Gary Oldman, who in any other year would have been the frontrunner for the Oscar, in particular is just incredible. The way he uses his glasses as shields from everything, the way that he tries to blend himself into the wall, it’s all so perfectly chosen for a character who requires anonymity and the ability to blend in to effectively get the job done.
Perhaps it’s the way that the plot slowly unfolds, but if you use the old theory that the biggest named guest star in a TV show is inevitably the killer, then figuring out the grand mystery at the heart of the film doesn’t take much work. Or maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for a meditative spy film. Or maybe I hyped myself up too much and the film couldn’t live up to the promise in my head. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is very good, but also incredibly dull. Maybe a second look will change my mind, but it will be a while before I come back around to it.
