Review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) by Vixey P — 05 Jan 2014

I think this adaptation of the novel missed a very key point in the story.

Peter Guillam is supposed to have a reputation for finding and killing traitors. This wasn't even addressed in the movie.

That is the whole reason Smiley brings him along to his interviews. That is the whole reason the other spies get terrified of him and start trying to explain themselves and their actions.

The BIG SURPRISE is supposed to be that in the end it is NOT Peter that kills the traitor. You're supposed to get a sense of how personal it was that someone else felt they had to do the final deed instead of sending Peter out to do the dirty work.

Everything else about this movie was great. The cast is amazing, and all the actors performances were really compelling.

It was just this really glaring plot hole, that made me feel like something was missing and didn't really make sense. So I went and read up on it, and sure enough, as soon as I found out Peter has a reputation for killing traitors, I felt that "ah hah!" moment where it all made sense. In my opinion this movie just needed one scene at the beginning where Peter kills someone brutally and obviously for being a traitor, just so you know the guy is dangerous even though he appears to be a mild mannered, non-threatening paper runner.

So it was a good movie, except for the painfully glaring plot hole.