Review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) by Majorbob — 15 Jan 2012

This movie is not for everyone and if you don't enjoy the movie, please do yourself a favor and don't try to read the book. I read most of John LeCarre's books when they came out a generation ago and this one was a tough read even back then.

Spy stories without near non-stop action are not a very popular film genre. This one has British accents to boot and a very complicated plot so be prepared to concentrate on every scene and and every conversation. Having said all that, I loved this movie and the cast which contains every great English character actor working today.

At times, it may seem slow in plot development but in the end everything comes together and quite frankly, I can't wait for the DVD to come out so I can go back and forth to scenes with the "closed captions" on.

Gary Oldman is terrific as George Smiley, master spy, who finds himself forced into retirement because of a botched mission in Hungary. He's brought back for the sole purpose of finding a "mole" in MI-6, who may have compromised that mission. The "back stories" of the possible suspects (nicknamed "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy") is partially told in flash back and in scenes that don't seem important at the time. Pay particular attention to Smiley's glasses since they tell you when the scene is a flashback.

The ending may be a shock if you haven't been paying attention to the relationship between the characters so either stay on your toes watching this one or find something a little easier on the the brain to watch.