Review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) by Halfwelshman — 22 Feb 2012

Films like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy don't come along very often. Films that are this intelligent, lovingly crafted and unafraid to take their time are a rarity in modern cinema, so, oddly enough, Tinker Tailor feels like a breath of fresh air, despite its 1970s setting, cold grey sets and tweed.

Director Tomas Alfredson proved his talent for building tension and creating a chilly atmosphere in his last feature, Let the Right One In, and this talent he puts to good use in maintaining the suspense of the plot and providing the right insular, secretive, emotionless feel to the world of Cold War espionage.

The cast are exceptional, with Gary Oldman delivering the performance of his career as retired spy George Smiley - he doesn't say much, but doesn't really need to when he's got the art of communicating through sitting perfectly still and subtly altering his facial expression down to such a fine art.

Others in the film's huge ensemble cast all have their moments to impress over the course of the film, but the of particular note are Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt (the latter of which was once considered to play Smiley, but is much better suited as the cantankerous Control).

Though it's undeniably an exceptional spy film, where Tinker Tailor really hits the mark is as a commentary on the futility of war. Every character is on edge as the investigation to find the Soviet mole within the British secret service progresses - the paranoia of the Cold War and threat of an enemy gaining the upper hand is perfectly communicated through the film's in-depth characterisation, with every member of "The Circus" looking as through they're rotting from the inside out.

This constant sense of unease is heightened by Alfredson's direction - you're kept at arms length from all of the characters we follow, and we never really get to know anybody. We just look on, helpless, at once-powerful men who sit slowly crumbling in bleak, cold offices and dingy hotel rooms.

In a lesser film, denying the viewer to really get inside character's heads would be a drawback, but not so here. We are given just enough information to make our own judgements about what may be going through the heads of this group of decrepit spies, but not quite enough to plot the exact course the film will take.

Smiley is always one step ahead of the viewer in his investigations, and marveling at the way his mind works when all the pieces of the puzzle finally slot into place is part of the fun. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is expertly directed, designed and filmed, and has the fiendishly clever plot and script adapted from John le Carre's novel and sturdy, complex performances from the whole cast to make it the complete package.

You don't get movies like this anymore, and that's a damn shame.