Our Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Review.
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, John Hurt
Release Date: UK – Back In October / US – 9th December
Taking John le Carré’s classic Cold War thriller and turning it into an exciting film is a daunting task. After all, the novel is incredibly slow-paced and there aren’t any explosions or car chases – the protagonist doesn’t even carry a gun. Anyone attempting to use the source material to tell an exciting story would need to have a lot of skill, luck or both.
Thankfully, Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) is exactly the right man for the job, and he’s managed to do everything right in bringing the story to the screen. The cast are English, the setting is mid seventies and the pace is impeccable.
Gary Oldman leads possibly the greatest British cast in film history as George Smiley, a man forced out of his top-level job working for the Circus, the highest echelon of Intelligence. But Smiley is soon drafted back – from his unique position on the sidelines, he is required to observe the Circus and discover which one of his former colleagues has been selling secrets to the Russians for almost ten years.
Where to start with a film that’s practically perfect on almost every detail? How about the cast? The line-up of talent here is simply wonderful, with legendary actors like John Hurt and Roger Lloyd-Pack mixing it up with newer faces like Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch. Each one brings an amazing touch of quality to the film – a sadness, a knowing sense of being displaced by time itself. The most incredible part is how much of the characters are hidden behind the actors’ eye and yet you can almost hear their thoughts. Special mention goes to Benedict Cumberbatch, simply because the man who played TV’s Sherlock Holmes manages to share most of his screentime with Oldman and never looks the weaker man.
Oldman’s quiet, subdued performance as Smiley dominates the film – as well it should – and the depth of sadness and thought that he gives the role is nothing less than outstanding. Contrary to any other thriller protagonist ever, Smiley’s lead weapon is his mind and the scene where he reduces David Dencik’s Toby Esterhase to tears just by talking to him is perhaps the most powerful piece of film to appear on the screen this year.
The excellent cast are supported by the equally talented director. Alfredson’s sedate, thoughtful style perfectly compliments the film. The director’s use of long shots provides the audience with a sense of voyeurism, as though we are spying on the spies (fitting, giving the theme of the film). Alfredson allows events to unfold at their own pace and allows tension to seep through the film, rather than force it in the audience’s face. The effect is spellbinding – at once treating the audience as intelligent and forcing them to observe every little detail as though they too were spies. Is that waiter’s hand trembling because he is nervous? Is that man being watched? It’s an unusual treat indeed for a film audience to be expected to pay attention.
Taking the classic thriller and transferring it to the screen might have been an impossible task, but thanks to the talents of the cast and crew, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of the best films of the year. Just pay attention and expect a different kind of thrill to the one cinema usually provides.
Our Grade: A
