Review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) by David B — 03 Jul 2013

During the Cold war a recently forcibly retired Spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is called back into service to investigate his former colleagues, whom one of them may likely be a mole for Russian intelligence. While conducting the investigation he learns his former late boss Control (John Hurt) suspected even him as a possibility and needs to confront his past and while delving into the murky dealing of the Circus (MI5) unearths secrets buried which will affect him professionally and personally.

John Le Carre's Tinker Tailor has already had an acclaimed TV adaptation made in the 1979 with Alec Guinness giving one of his most applauded performances as George Smiley. Some 32 years later Swedish director Thomas Alfredson with a script by Husband and Wife team Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor brings Le Carre's most celebrated novel to the big screen. Guinness who landed himself one his most significant roles of his career, coming off the back of George Lucas' Star Wars, despite returning to the role two more times Guinness became frustrated that a large section of the public recognised him for this one role when he was an academy award winner with many acclaimed roles long before Star Wars, Smiley would be the role to establish him in a more serious light once again. Gary Oldman while more than comfortable with being associated with two roles one in the Harry Potter series and the other in Christopher Nolan's extremely successful Batman reboot, both coincidently from the fantasy end of the market not unlike Star Wars. Oldman after spending the last ten years successfully providing supporting roles chose to step into the spotlight once again to essay an already iconic character which had more than been established by Guinness decades earlier and put his own spin on Le Carre's quiet spy.

Alfredson who had already established himself with an exceptional debut Let The Right One In, bucks the trend of previous European directors like Mathieu Kassovitz (Le Haine) and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives Of Others) whose first language debut had been so impressive that when attempting English language follow ups had dropped the bar so spectacularly, made some wonder if the same director was responsible. Alfredson in contrast has no such problem and delivers an even more assured second film and like with his debut has done the author whose work he is interpreting a huge credit and honours the material with a confidence, while staying loyal to the material delivers with his screen writers a work of such significant quality that it can stand up in its own light as a major work itself. Straughan and the now the late Connors screenplay does an exceptional job of adapting Le Carre, this is not a film of the TV series and also changes a few things from the book , the sexuality is amped up a notch but like the book and the series this plays things down. In other hands this could have been given a far more pacier feel, this is not to say the film lacks thrills , one scene in particular is incredibly suspenseful, who would have thought retrieving a file could be so tense. There are only brief moments of violence, one particularly shocking moment that arrives and goes so suddenly. It even has a new element not in the book or the series, a Circus Christmas party which plays in flashback in sections throughout the film, some moments of humour and emotion as well as a few clues to the mystery, Le Carre actually makes a cameo as a drunk party goer. Both Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography and Maria Djurkovic's production design brings the dusky offices of the Circus to life extremely vividly and captures the period beautifully.

As well as a great director and screenplay the film would be useless without actors to bring it to life and Tinker Tailor is blessed with one of the best casts of the last twenty years. As well as getting all the major roles essayed by the cream of British talent the supporting roles are of a high quality, seeing Kathy Burke return to the big screen as Connie Sachs a role taken by Beryl Reid in the series, her brief but memorable scenes with Oldman's Smiley are a delight. Roger Lloyd Pack pops up as one of Smiley's helpers and busy character actor Simon McBurney as bureaucrat Oliver Lacon delivers another impressive turn buttering his toast with relish while holding a conversation with two members of the Circus. John Hurt seems to be born to have played Control, his decrepit but furious form fitting like a glove as The Circus former chief. The richness of the cast allows even the likes of Stephen Graham appearing briefly as a minor Circus operative, the quality of the material attracting actors just wanting to appear however brief.

The main line line up of Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Firth and David Dencik as Percy Alleline, Roy Bland, Bill Haydon and Toby Esterhase. Hinds is brief but effective, Jones given a little more screen time excels in his moments, all of the actors bettering the work of their TV counterparts with only the Oscar winning Firth in a terrific performance, still not quite erasing the memory of the late great Ian Richardson as Haydon, more a testament to Richardson as an actor than to the quality of Firth in the role. Benedict Cumberbatch is emerging as one of Britain's finest young actors and here is wonderful as Smiley's right hand Peter Guillame, showing a tough but also vulnerable side. Mark Strong who has pretty much been the Hollywood go to bad guy of late, finally gets a chance to show a more sensitive side as Jim Predieux. Allot of fuss has been made of Tom Hardy's Ricki Tarr, some critics have marked this out in particular, its fair to say the TV version played by Hywel Bennett wasn't one of the most memorable moments of the production so it wouldn't have been much of a feat to top that but once again Hardy delivers another assured turn, his character being the emotional heart of the film.

Being the lead though it is undoubtedly is Oldman's film, though its such a quiet turn it might take some more than one viewing to notice the sheer brilliance of his performance. It is quite possibly his finest in a career that has included some incredible work. Guinness was rightly acclaimed for his take but Oldman takes influence from Le Carre himself for certain traits. He also plays Smiley with a somewhat crueler mind than Guinness, its not blatant but subtle. Illustrated brilliantly when Smiley quietly interrogates Denciks Alleline as a plane comes into land in one particular sequence. His words and mannerisms terrifying him as he reveals he knows who the mole is and what he's capable of doing to him if he doesn't cooperate . Oldman also presents another element not really present in his predecessor's performance. We obviously get the point that a brilliant mind lies behind Sir Alec's Smiley, Oldman nails this perfectly but he also shows that George might well be a brilliant spy but is utterly useless as a human being. Unable to confront his adulterous wife, she looms over proceedings so more effectively being absent from proceedings. He is simply magnificent when he recalls to Guillame about his confrontation with his elusive Russian adversary Karla, the decision to have Smiley describe it rather than show is one of the only mistakes of the TV series, Oldman getting a chance to show Georges hopelessness where Ann is concerned. Alfredson apparently told Oldman that he needs to appear boring he can't be boring. Awards undoubtedly eluded Oldman as this kind of performance just isn't the kind to be rewarded, though Tinkers is more than likely to age like fine wine, when the flavour of the week Oscar bait has long faded into the background.,.

This won't please everyone, those wanting something that zips along and spells things out need not apply, the plot is detailed and dense but there are clues littered throughout, though the reveal is not played like some big revelation, it's rather an anti climax but utterly faithful to the literary source. Although the film is set in the seventies it feels incredibly contemporary yet feels old school as well. Smiley is ordinary almost mundane but Oldman's performance is riveting with an exceptional supporting cast, a director at the top his game, this is the un-reboot the anti Bond and it's intoxicating combination is nothing short of a masterpiece.