If you have any affection whatsoever for subtlety, intrigue, and a good, complicated plot, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a movie that delivers in a big, bad way.
If you want a spy movie you can watch without the constant use of your brain, do not watch this film; go watch a Bourne movie.
Director Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of the novel by John le Carre (arguably the definitive Cold War novel) subscribes to a method of filmmaking that could be best described as haphazardly-controlled. The film is quiet and precise. It’s clearly been constructed in such a way that every turn has been carefully planned to lead to the next.
However, when you think you have a read on where the movie is going it takes a sharp right to the point that it’ll lift your left-side tires clean off the ground.
Disgraced British Intelligence agent George Smiley (the ever-brilliant Gary Oldman) is brought out of retirement to hunt down a Soviet mole within “the Circus” – the highest level of the British Secret Intelligence Service.
The head of the Circus, Control (John Hurt), has narrowed the possible suspects down to five of his most trusted agents: Percy Alleline, codenamed ‘Tinker’ (Toby Jones), Bill Haydon, ‘Tailor’ (Colin Firth), Roy Bland, ‘Soldier’ (Ciaran Hinds), Toby Esterhase, ‘Poor Man’ (David Dencik), and Smiley, ‘Beggarman.’
The premise alone is enough to make a decent film. Indeed, the pedigree of the cast – which also includes Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch, among others – makes this a virtual must-see. However, it’s the storytelling that, above all else, takes center stage.
The backstory, which is revealed through flashbacks placed intermittently throughout the movie, makes up the bulk of the plot; we’re given glimpses of what the movie finds important whenever the filmmaker thinks it’s necessary that we see it.
In other words, this is a spy movie that gives its audience information on a need-to-know basis. This approach, taken both in the novel and the screenwriters tasked with adapting it – Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan – places a new face with the name, “you-are-there cinema.”
To make a detailed representation of the plot itself would take more time than I’m sure you’re willing to spend reading – to frank, it would be miraculous if I could describe the plot without giving away a myriad of spoilers. I’ll simply say that the writers and director have combined to craft an absolutely brilliant story and leave it at that.
As for the cast, there’s no limit to the amount of praise I’m willing to sing on its behalf. Gary Oldman was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in this film, and with good reason: He’s absolutely fantastic in it.
Smiley, as portrayed by Oldman, speaks and acts only when necessary, and whatever he does makes an impact that’s felt straight down to the core. He plays the role in the way that we imagine most spies work – he’ll blend in and make you comfortable before emerging from the shadows to make the kill.
Rising star Benedict Cumberbatch is equally good as Smiley’s considerably-younger and more brash right-hand-man, Peter Guillam. Cumberbatch brings impulsiveness to the film and essentially becomes a point-of-view character for the audience. His impatience and overwhelming urge to act mirrors our own desire to see the story continue to unfold.
Tom Hardy, as he is in everything recently (even the god-awful This Means War) is terrific as Ricki Tarr, the deep cover agent who has discovered the existence of the mole. I could go on about how amazing the performances from Firth, Jones, and Hurt are, but it would simply become repetitive.
The fact is, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one of the best espionage films produced in decades. It’s a movie that keeps you guessing and engaged from start-to-finish in a way that few moves in recent years have been able to.
High-Def Presentation
Focus Features and Universal bring Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to Blu-ray with a 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 encode that’s high on grain but never in a distracting manner. Indeed, the heavy grain brings the film a lot of its appeal and helps reinforce its setting. Image quality is great, even considering the high number of dark locales. Black levels tend to be more poorly-defined the darker the scene gets, but it’s a minor complaint.
The audio quality is equally good, bringing every line of dialogue across cleanly (important in an exposition-heavy film). The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track makes brings the action-heavy moments (few and far between though they might be) to audible life in brilliant fashion while still maintaining the integrity of the quieter, ambient sounds.
Beyond the Feature
The film comes with a variety of bonus features, all of which are worth checking out. Oldman and Alfredson collaborate on an engaging audio commentary track (even if it does go silent a bit more often than it should) that offers a fascinating look at the inner workings of the story’s construction as well as the minutia of the filmmaking experience.
The next most impressive supplement is the 57 minutes’ worth of interviews (you can play all or watch them one at a time) with Oldman, Firth, Hardy, le Carre, as well as one that pairs Alfredson and Straughan. They’re all quite good and remarkably informative, but the highlight is the sit-down with le Carre.
Rounding out the bonus features are:
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: First Look (13 minutes) – A short making-of documentary.
- Deleted Scenes (6 minutes) – As with most deleted scenes, all scenes presented here were deleted for a reason. They’re worth checking out for sheer curiosity’s sake, but it becomes apparent shortly into all of them why? they were cut.
All supplemental features are presented in high definition.
Ultimately, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one of the best movies of 2011. It’s a nearly perfect movie. But I’ve said too much.
After all: You’re on a need-to-know basis.
Shop for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on Blu-ray for a discounted price at Amazon.com (March 20, 2012 release date).
