Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Movie Review

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is based on a novel written by John LeCarre. This is the latest of LeCarre’s films to be made into a movie. He is well known for The Spy Who Came In From the Cold and The Constant Gardner. The film feels like a walk down memory lane for those of us who lived the Cold War, but the book was actually written in 1974 and was based loosely on current events at the time. This film captures the mystery of espionage in a way that only a former operative could envision things. That makes sense, since LeCarre was a member of Mi5 and Mi6 (British Intelligence) in the 1950s and 1960s.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was the first book in a trilogy known as The Karla Trilogy. Based on this film, I hope there is a good possibility that we will see the second book, The Honourable Schoolboy go into production. If they make the entire trilogy, the final work is called Smiley’s People.

With the “Cambridge Five” in mind, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy examines the machinations of the upper echelon of the British Intelligence Service. During the height of the Cold War, it is believed that a mole may be operating at the very top of The Circus (intelligence service). A botched operation in Hungary involving an operative named Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) has stirred things up. Prideaux is compromised during an attempt to bring a General over from the Hungarian side. The entire operation appears to be a ruse in order to expose the a mole that Control (John Hurt) believes has infiltrated the agency. This suspicion is confirmed by a telephone call from rogue agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) who reports his information to Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney), who is responsible for oversight of the intelligence service.

Lacon reaches out to George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who was recently forced out of the service following the botched operation. Lacon brings Smiley back in to conduct a covert investigation of the intelligence service in an attempt to discover the Russian mole. Smiley requests that Lacon assign him Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) as an assistant. As the pair begin their endeavor, it quickly becomes apparent that no one can be trusted. Even the top of the organization is suspect. Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds), Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) and Bill Haydon (Colin Firth) are all suspects. The powerful men are difficult to pin down, as each runs their own network of informants. It seems the British are at odds with the CIA, who has stopped sharing information due to the “leaky ship” they run. Restoring British intelligence to their proper place as an elite, trustworthy organization lies in the hands of Smiley as he begins to untangle a web of interwoven stories.

Taking an intricately woven tale of espionage from the mind of LeCarre and presenting it in a two-hour format presents many challenges. The most notable challenge is maintaining the essential elements of suspense and major plotlines without losing the viewer. It is easy to adapt a book into screenplay format and forget that an audience may not be able to follow all of the characters and action if they have not read the book. LeCarre’s characters are based on real people, giving them an interesting depth that can only be explored superficially given the time constraints. There are a dozen major characters in this film, along with British accents and spy jargon. The combination required me to pay strict attention to the dialogue, which was muted at times. I followed the major twists of the plot and was able to connect the dots, but still feel like I may have missed some minor points. The story itself was gripping. I would enjoyed it more if I didn’t struggle to hear every word, because there is not much in the way of wasted dialogue in this film. Everything means something.

What Director Tomas Alfredson was not able to capture in terms of character development (given the constraints of the movie length) was made up for with a star-packed cast. With Gary Oldman headlining, the film has a strong foundation. But the stars line up behind Oldman with plenty of familiar faces. Oldman has a matter-of-fact deadpan delivery that exudes intellect, cunning and even some rare glimpses of sorrow and regret. His performance is a tremendous anchor for the smaller characters around him. Colin Firth is always brilliant. While this performance is no Kings Speech, Firth is the perennial professional, conjuring up a character that has visible swagger with limited screen time to convey personality. Cumberbatch is less familiar than Hurt, Jones, Dencik, Firth and Hines. But he takes on a larger role, managing to hang tough with the veterans. The performances added depth where the script was limited.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is rated R by the MPAA. The rating comes from two very mild nude scenes and explicit violence. The violence includes gruesome murder scenes where the gore factor results in disturbing images. The film also includes strong language. All things considered, the rating for this film is an R-light in my book. The subject matter exceeds the sum of the individual parts that earn this film its rating. The elements that contribute to the rating are all contextual. Nothing gratuitous.

One of the most endearing aspects of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the era. I had just watched Bedazzled the day before, so it was interesting to see an old Wimpy’s hamburger joint in the film. The look of the film was excellent. I am not sure if it was intentional, but the cinematography felt very 70s at times. The look of the film was enhanced by the excellent costumes and sets. There was one scene inside a grocery store that had period signage that I noted was a bit overdone. Rather than finding numerous different signs, one particular sign was used at least five times in the scene. It went by quick, so I wasn’t able to count…and I wasn’t doing it consciously. The redundant signage caught my attention, which distracted me from the actual story. Other than that one incident, the look and feel of the film transported me back to those Cold War days, invoking a sense of nostalgia.

The best compliment I can give Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has already been given. Having seen a film based on the first book in a trilogy, I am hungry for more. I hope that Alfredson decides (and has clearance) to produce the following two films. I like the look that he created. I also hope he is able to bring back the actors (Oldman) who play a prominent role in the series. Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan did a good job shrinking a novel into a two-hour screenplay, even with the issues I had catching all of the dialogue. I hope they also create the follow on screenplays. They did an excellent job of packing a lot of information into a viewable film length. This film isn’t perfect, but it was well worth seeing at the theater. I am looking forward to the next installment which is long overdue.