Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The Cold War seems like an odd setting for thrillers with fears of Mutually Assured Destruction and interest in the insidious threat of communist spies something beyond the memory of many cinemagoers. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is both stylistically slower than what we have come accustomed to and lacks the ubiquitous clichés of shootouts and car chases. But this should not be taken as a criticism, more a very welcome breath of fresh air.

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of the film is its atmosphere, exuded in every shot from the smoke-filled corridors of British intelligence to private homes and drunken Christmas parties. All of which creates the tension and all-pervading sense of threat and betrayal that haunts every frame and makes the film so watchable. Particularly considering this is a picture about betrayal and deceit, rather than anything else focussing upon Smiley’s (Gary Oldman) search for a Russian mole instead of the wider political ramifications that are left comparatively on the back burner. This is something that should come as no surprise to fans of director Tomas Alfredson’s previous film, the exquisite Let the Right One In, which likewise was about something other then what you might expect, in that case the agonies of childhood rather than blood curdling vampires. Both films also radiate rich period settings and more importantly have a brilliantly crafted sense of foreboding that grabs the viewer and never quite lets go, even after the credits stop rolling.

Many people will no doubt be anxious to see this because of the cast list, which forms a who’s who of talented male British actors including John Hurt, Mark Strong and Colin Firth. All of whom to nobody’s surprise are an absolute joy to watch, with even those given minor roles putting in their all and creating a wonderful tableau of memorable characters, all of whom you sense have a heart and soul beyond what we see on screen. So picking individuals out from the crowd proves a difficult task, though Tom Hardy is perhaps the most memorable of the supporting cast with his tough enforcer Ricki Tarr having a real sense of weakness alongside his obvious strength and physicality. Whilst our central protagonist George Smiley (Oldman) is just fantastic in a gloriously understated performance that will undoubtedly gain nominations come awards season. Ironically though the quality of the casting does lead to the film’s main problem; namely that we want more time with them, as a couple of extra scenes to expand on them would not have been amiss to help get deeper under their skin and hopefully had provided the final act with more sting. For when Smiley’s nemesis finally is unmasked, it does not shock us as it could and is unfortunately the person who the audience suspects all along.

What we have though is still an extremely well executed film that been beautifully acted, directed and shot. It has flaws but they are small in comparison to its great successes and do not stop it being almost certainly the best British film of the year.

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