Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) directed by Tomas Alfredson
When you think of spy movies you invariably think of James Bond going on secret missions, using fancy gadgets and seducing women, but I suspect the real world of spies is more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a largely cerebral and action-light film about trying to uncover a mole in the upper ranks of British intelligence.
I'll just get this out of the way first; this is not an easy film to digest. When I say the film is cerebral I mean to say that it requires a great deal of paying close attention, keeping track of pertinent information, knowing characters and linking ideas and clues together without being told. It requires you to actively think rather than passively watch and I'll admit that I was a little lost at times trying to figure out what was what and who was who. For better or worse the film is purposely meant to be a little mystifying. It is the world of hiding secrets and uncovering them after all.
The film is set in 1970's London where Control, the head of British intelligence, is convinced there is a mole in his inner circle. One of the five men at his table is a double agent working for the Russians but he does not know which one. Control dies of a heart attack before making anymore headway and it is up to George Smiley, his right hand man recently forced into retirement, to pick up the investigation. The investigation is slow and methodical and at times unclear. Smiley plays it pretty close to the vest never revealing too much of what he is thinking or planning. The first thirty to forty minutes are a sort of feeling out process as we sort through all the facts and characters and clues. It can be a little overwhelming, but by the end it will all make sense.
The pacing of the movie is sure to test some viewers' patience but I actually liked it this way. This film is all about feel and setting. I appreciated how the film took its time even when I thought it was getting a little tedious. Director Tomas Alfredson knows what he's doing. The slow pace adds weight to the mystery as it builds up. Each time a new wrinkle pops up, it is exciting and thrilling. I thought the film captured this world of spies perfectly, the smoke filled rooms, the dark shadows, the tired faces. The art direction of the film is also superb. The set designs and costumes look exactly like how I'd picture 1970's London to look like. I love how sharply everyone dressed back then!
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a well made spy drama whose biggest strength may also be a weakness as well. I felt like the ambiguity of the story was allowed to linger on a little too long as there were too many question marks going on at the same time and even the answers didn't feel clear enough. Yet at the same time it is this shroud of mystery and trying to uncover it that makes the film work the way it does.
Grade: B
When you think of spy movies you invariably think of James Bond going on secret missions, using fancy gadgets and seducing women, but I suspect the real world of spies is more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a largely cerebral and action-light film about trying to uncover a mole in the upper ranks of British intelligence.
I'll just get this out of the way first; this is not an easy film to digest. When I say the film is cerebral I mean to say that it requires a great deal of paying close attention, keeping track of pertinent information, knowing characters and linking ideas and clues together without being told. It requires you to actively think rather than passively watch and I'll admit that I was a little lost at times trying to figure out what was what and who was who. For better or worse the film is purposely meant to be a little mystifying. It is the world of hiding secrets and uncovering them after all.
The film is set in 1970's London where Control, the head of British intelligence, is convinced there is a mole in his inner circle. One of the five men at his table is a double agent working for the Russians but he does not know which one. Control dies of a heart attack before making anymore headway and it is up to George Smiley, his right hand man recently forced into retirement, to pick up the investigation. The investigation is slow and methodical and at times unclear. Smiley plays it pretty close to the vest never revealing too much of what he is thinking or planning. The first thirty to forty minutes are a sort of feeling out process as we sort through all the facts and characters and clues. It can be a little overwhelming, but by the end it will all make sense.
The pacing of the movie is sure to test some viewers' patience but I actually liked it this way. This film is all about feel and setting. I appreciated how the film took its time even when I thought it was getting a little tedious. Director Tomas Alfredson knows what he's doing. The slow pace adds weight to the mystery as it builds up. Each time a new wrinkle pops up, it is exciting and thrilling. I thought the film captured this world of spies perfectly, the smoke filled rooms, the dark shadows, the tired faces. The art direction of the film is also superb. The set designs and costumes look exactly like how I'd picture 1970's London to look like. I love how sharply everyone dressed back then!
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a well made spy drama whose biggest strength may also be a weakness as well. I felt like the ambiguity of the story was allowed to linger on a little too long as there were too many question marks going on at the same time and even the answers didn't feel clear enough. Yet at the same time it is this shroud of mystery and trying to uncover it that makes the film work the way it does.
Grade: B
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