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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
| Released |
16 September 2011 |
| Director |
Tomas Alfredson |
Starring
|
Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds |
Writer(s)
|
Bridget O'Connor,
Peter Straughan |
Producer(s)
|
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner,
Robyn Slovo |
| Origin |
United Kingdom, France |
| Running Time |
127 minutes |
| Genre |
Thriller |
| Rating |
15A |
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British intelligence.
Being a British spy isn’t all Aston Martin’s, bikini-clad blondes and belt buckles that double up as laser cutters. John le Carré’s 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy helped to transform this perception by dragging the Cold War away from dramatic headlines into mundane, distinctly unglamourous reality. Here the MI6 operatives beg for the scraps of American intelligence, fight through reams of red tape and attempt to obtain funding from a cash strapped government. Its hero, George Smiley (here played by Gary Oldman), is really more Reginald Perrin than James Bond. Having said that, he is a much more compelling character than his tuxedoed counterpart and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is riveting despite its lack of exotic window dressing.
The intrigue takes place in 1970s England. Smiley is a recently retired intelligence operative who is tasked with uncovering a mole placed by the Soviet Union into the highest echelons of British intelligence. There are four suspects played by Colin Firth, Ciarán Hinds, Toby Jones and David Dencik; all are plausible suspects and through the use of flashbacks, we see Smiley trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.
As you can tell, this is a very impressive cast- one that also includes John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Stephen Graham, Mark Strong and Kathy Bates. Thankfully, given the fact that this is a character driven, dialogue heavy film, there isn’t a weak link in the chain and director Tomas Alfredson manages the twists and turns with aplomb. This is a stately and handsome film that has more in common stylistically with Alfredson’s acclaimed modern horror film Let the Right One In than one would expect given the radically different genres. Again we see his use of a specific colour palette to not only evoke a time and place but also to firmly set a tone; this time nicotine browns and greys compliment the austerity of 1970s Britain and also create an atmosphere of clammy claustrophobia even in the few scenes that take place outdoors. Oldman’s take on George Smiley feels like he has been born from this oppressive atmosphere. He does a masterful job, making his character at once compelling and mundane.
All in all Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy marks a welcome return to grown up, well-crafted storytelling after all the bombast of the summer scheduling. An impressive and intelligent piece of film making.
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Linda O’Brien |
