Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A mini-review

 “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is a 2011 espionage/mystery film based on John Le Carré’s novel of the same title. Set in London in the early 1970s, the film follows the quest of veteran MI6 official George Smiley (Gary Oldman), called out of retirement by the Civil Service, to expose a Soviet double agent hiding among MI6’s—the Circus, in their own spyspeak--top ranks. With help from a younger Circus fixture named Peter Guillam (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), Smiley surreptitiously trails the mole following leads from a botched mission in Budapest authorized by the deceased Chief.

 

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Smiley was famously portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness in a 1979 BBC series, and the more senior of Le Carré fans frequently compare Guinness’ portrayal with that of Oldman. The new Smiley holds his own, however; only an actor of Oldman’s caliber can express cold, intense cunning behind a pair of horn-rimmed bifocals. Also, there’s a bit of personal amusement watching Oldman schooling Cumberbatch (Sherlock?) in the art of sleuthing.

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The director, Tomas Alfredson, didn’t intend the film as easy viewing: It’s anti-James Bond, so to speak. Condensing a Le Carré novel into a single film is a feat in itself, and screenwriters Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan did a terrific job at preserving suspicion and anxiety without making the film too weighty. Still, one needs to turn on the subtitles to get hold of all the British spy lingo peppered throughout.

 

Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

 
To sum it up, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” benefits from an intelligent script, with characters played by intelligent actors, and will probably earn Le Carré plenty of new fans. An excellent showcase of drama and suspense, it’s considered one of the best mystery films of 2011.

 I’m Zachary Wood, Orlando resident and a huge enthusiast of mystery fiction. Visit this Google+ page for more of my thoughts and insights about these arresting works.