Release Date: 12/09/2011 (Limited)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy takes place at the height of the Cold War. The year is 1973 and Control (John Hurt), the head of British Intelligence, or MI6, nicknamed the “Circus,” calls Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) into his dimly lit office and tells him that he believes that one of four senior figures in the service is, in fact, a Russian double agent, or a “mole.” He sends Prideaux to Budapest in an attempt to identifying which one of them it is. However, when the Budapest operation goes horribly wrong, leaving Prideaux shot and possibly dead, Control is shamefully ousted. Forced to resign is Control’s top man and master spy, George Smiley (Gary Oldman).
When Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) an assassin, or “Scalphunter” for the Circus turned rogue spy, turns up at the house of Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney), Smiley is tasked with uncovering the mole, ably assisted by junior agent Peter Guillam (Noah Cumberbatch). While on assignment tailing a Russian operative, Tarr has an affair with the operative’s wife. The woman tells him an engrossing story, almost revealing the name of the Russian double agent. But after she’s captured by the Soviets, Tarr goes missing for months, only to show up at Smiley’s house with his story. Not only does Tarr not want to end up like Smiley and Guillam, he wants Smiley to save the woman, and by God, when Tom Hardy wants something, you fucking feel it. He might just be the most compelling actor working today. It almost breaks your heart hearing him talk of the woman he can’t protect.
Using Control’s files on the Russian double agent, Smiley is able to narrow down the identity of the mole to one of four men. Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) is “Tinker,” Bill Haydon (Colin Firth) is “Tailor,” and Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds) is “Soldier.” But its the fourth suspected mole who Control identified that will be the most surprising. Smiley pokes at this web of lies, always knowing in the back of his mind the distinct and dangerous possibility that the person who spun it in may very well be a close friend.
Gary Oldman has played some of the most outrageously detestable villains; Lee Harvey Oswald, Dracula, Drexl Spivey, Stansfield and Zorg to name a few. But ever since he officially entered middle-age, he’s been actively moving toward more modest roles. Jim Gordon in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises is a prime example. However, in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Oldman delivers what may be the finest performance of his career. Within his drawn-out, withheld voice resonates a universal truth that Smiley might have been trying to convey all along: In the world of espionage, there are no virtues.
It’s obvious when watching the movie that John le Carre had full chapters, if not whole sections, of his novel devoted solely to many of the supporting characters. Namely Control, Jim Prideaux, Bill Haydon, Ricki Tarr and Peter Guillam. In the end, however, their stories are tragically reduced to one or two lines of dialogue. But the entire supporting cast goes far beyond their supporting roles. Many times so much so, their characters overshadow that of Oldman’s, primarily due to his subdued portrayal. But next to Gary Oldman, incredibly strong performance were delivered by Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Noah Cumberbatch and Mark Strong.
Director Tomas Alfredson, best known for Let the Right One In which was later remade into Let Me In, is a sort of specialist when it comes to chilly atmospherics. He’s able to effectively bring to life the city streets of rainy London during the 1970′s. He establishes a universe of moody precision with close-ups of teletype machines, reel-to-reel tape recorders and an eerie scene set in an opticians office. The adaptation by Peter Straughan (The Debt and The Men Who Stare at Goats) and the late Bridget O’Connor is an extreme compression of the international best-selling spy novel by John le Carre, often regarded as the writer’s best work. It is so densely compacted, almost to the point of adversely effecting the story. It virtually makes the multifaceted storyline impossible to follow. At one point during the film, I looked over at Wiseguy #1 “Pitstop” and asked him flat-out, “Do you even know what’s going on?” He was reduced to a mere shoulder shrug and smirk. I took that as a clear sign that he was as lost as I was. It is true, the first half of the film is a lot of short scenes filled with people we don’t know doing things we can’t follow. Although it requires close watching, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is everything The Good Shepherd tried to be.
“You’re a good watcher. Us loners always are.”
I am basing this review having only seen the movie once. But it’s quite clear that multiple viewings are necessary to grasp the sheer volume of events unfolding onscreen. At times, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is so cleverly subtle, and at others it’s borderline incomprehensible. As if not always being able to distinguish what’s going on becomes part of the film’s decor. But I guess that’s the point le Carre was trying to make all along when writing his novel. A certain amount of confusion comes with the territory. If you’re a moviegoer who often has trouble following movies, needing things explained to you along the way, well then this movie is not for you. But if you’re someone who enjoys watching puzzles unfolding before your eyes, and a story that rushes into the night expecting you to keep up with the pace, than I strongly suggest this film.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy bleeds with authenticity but it’s murky to the point of impenetrable. There was just too much I felt like I missed.
Movie Wiseguys: 7.5/10