Rated
R (Violence, some Sexuality/Nudity and Language)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 7 Minutes
Cast-
Gary
Oldman-George Smiley
Benedict
Cumberbatch-Peter Guillam
Colin
Firth-Bill Haydon
Ciarán
Hinds-Roy Bland
Toby
Jones-Percy Alleline
David
Dencik-Toby Esterhase
Mark
Strong-Jim Prideaux
Tom
Hardy-Ricki Tarr
John
Hurt-Control
Simon
McBurney-Oliver Lacon
Kathy
Burke-Connie Sachs
Konstantin
Khabenskiy-Polyakov
Svetlana
Khodchenkova-Irina
Katrina
Vasilieva-Ann Smiley
Directed
by Tomas Alfredson
 |
| Gary Oldman's George Smiley meets his match when British Secret Intelligence is invaded by a Soviet spy. |
For
the past five decades, the modern spy genre has been dominated by one name: James
Bond and despite the changing times, the long-running franchise (its
twenty-third entry, titled “007 Skyfall,” is currently filming as I type this
review) continues to be surprisingly relevant among film audiences as each
director is unafraid to mold or even outright reinvent the character to reflect the era that he is currently in.
However, the series’ formula for high-octane chases, explosive action scenes, beautiful
women, and use of exotic locales has remained unchanged even as Bond was
rebooted in 2006 with “007 Casino Royale” in an attempt to strip away its
sillier aspects and bring the character back to its roots. This move was partially
inspired by the successes of both the “Bourne” films and 2005’s “Batman Begins”
but despite the genre’s renewed focus on realism, the action-oriented approach
has continued to keep Bond and the peers he inspired in the world of pure
fantasy and serve as merely entertainment experiences. Think about it: why
would a government-sponsored secret agent do such a terrible job of keeping to him
or herself by engaging in massive gun battles in full-view of the public while
causing millions of dollars of property damage? No, the reality is far more different and would resemble John
le Carré’s 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor,
Soldier, Spy. Carré was a French pseudonym (translated: John the Square)
used by David Cornwell who served in British Secret Intelligence Services MI5
and MI6 until 1964 when he was betrayed by Kim Philby, a double agent working
for the Soviet Union and part of the infamous Cambridge Five. The first in the
so-called Karla Trilogy, the novel
was previously adapted for television as a seven-part series for the BBC in
1979 and featured Sir Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi from the original “Star
Wars” trilogy) as the titular British agent George Smiley. “Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy” the film marks the English-language debut of Swedish director
Tomas Alfredson and despite the difficulty in adapting such a densely plotted
narrative, he and his writers prove more than up to the task as the result is a
richly-layered, suspenseful, and even though-provoking espionage thriller that
is bolstered by one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled with each giving
a nuanced performance but the most memorable of them all is certainly Gary
Oldman.
During the height of the Cold War in 1973, Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong)
meets with the head of British Secret Intelligence, Control (John Hurt), to
receive his latest mission: travel to Budapest and meet with an unnamed
Hungarian General who is selling information. When Prideaux asks what kind,
Control answers that it contains ‘the name of the mole the Russians have
implanted in British Intelligence, right at the top.’ However, the mission ends
in failure when Prideaux’s cover is blown and is shot dead by Soviet agents.
Control and his trusted right-hand man George Smiley (Gary Oldman) are forced
into early retirement amidst the international crisis that follows. Already
terminally ill, Control soon dies alone in a hospital. The new Chief of British
Secret Intelligence (colloquially called the
Circus) is Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) with Bill Hayden (Colin Firth)
serving as his right-hand man. Roy Bland
(Ciarán Hinds) and Toby Esterhase (David Dencik) form the rest of Percy’s inner
circle. Forgoing the usual channels to protect their source within the Soviet
Union, Alleline and Bland meet face-to-face with Civil Servant Oliver Lacon (Simon
McBurney) to request funding for a top-secret operation dubbed Witchcraft in order to receive highly
sensitive Soviet intelligence from his contact within a privately rented
townhouse. Given the ‘disaster’ at Budapest, Lacon is reluctant to provide
additional funding since in the eyes of the United States, British Secret
Intelligence remains a ‘leaky ship.’ After the meeting, Lacon receives a phone
call from Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy), an agent falsely accused of defecting to the
Soviet Union, and learns that there is a mole in deep cover hidden within the
upper echelons of British Secret Intelligence. He brings Smiley out of forced
retirement and asks him to uncover the mole since he is ‘outside the family’
now. Aided by a scalp-hunter named Peter
Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), Smiley sets to work in finding the mole and
discovers that he is matching wits with a secretive, highly intelligent Soviet
agent codenamed Karla.
Both its main
strength and its weakness, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is a very difficult film to follow and
requires the utmost attention from its audience which will limit its appeal
among the masses. This difficulty arises not because the film is abstract in
any way but the fact that there is a large amount of information presented and
each line of dialogue represents a key piece of the puzzle that will unravel
the central mystery. Now I admit that I have
not read Carré’s novel nor seen the 1979 original BBC television series but
this fresh perspective actually makes the film more engaging, allowing me to become an active participant in
Smiley’s investigation as he analyzed every clue. Writers Bridget O'Connor and Peter
Straughan have done an excellent job in compressing and streamlining the novel
into a compact two hours but there is one
glaring issue: the use of flashbacks is sometimes not all that apparent and I
feel that an audio cue would’ve helped. These scenes contain a large amount of
background exposition but it all comes off as organic rather than forced in
order to pander to audiences. The music from Spanish composer Alberto Iglesias
lends a noir-like vibe to the proceedings with its use of a jazz motif and it
fits as all of these British agents are weary and tired of the cat-and-mouse
game they must play and the violence that inevitably follows. Much effort has
gone into accurately recreating Cold War-era Britain during the 1970’s and the
cinematography from Hoyte van Hoytema is often bathed in a gray/brown hue
indoors and foggy clouds in establishing shots to mirror the murky world these
characters live in.
The sense of paranoia exudes in every scene but the film is
as much a character drama as it is an espionage thriller. Several innocuous
scenes of children at play are shown and the most common trait of all children
is that they are curious and like to observe. The adults observe as well but it
represents a loss of innocence and idealism as their loyalty to their country
forces them to betray even their closest friends at the drop of a hat if it is
discovered that they work for the enemy. The moral boundaries that initially
led them to this profession are not as clear cut as it was and it raises not
just the political but also the personal stakes as well since the other side
will have no qualms in exploiting any weakness. Smiley gives a brilliant speech
on this in the middle of the film when he recalls a meeting in Delhi in 1955
where he attempted to convince Karla to defect to their side. Tired and worn
down, he cannot even remember Karla’s face. The dense narrative is certainly
not easy to digest immediately upon a first viewing but all the information is there and it is up to you to connect the dots. I enjoy when a film like “Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy” challenges its audience but this can be a barrier for some people
who are simply looking for disposable entertainment so if you are of that crowd, I would not recommend
seeing this. There is little in the way of action in the traditional sense and
I fear that viewers will complain that nothing ‘happens’ when this is not true.
Granted, the revelation of the mole’s identity is understated and presented in
a matter-of-fact manner but there is this suspenseful scene in which Guillam is
sent in by Smiley to retrieve the duty officer’s log-book back at headquarters
and that he will disavow him if he is captured. Violence is sparse as well but
there are several shocking scenes in which we witness the aftermath of a
disembowelment and a young woman suddenly shot in cold blood.
Alfredson has
assembled an impressive ensemble cast of largely British actors, led by Gary
Oldman. As George Smiley, he has a taciturn demeanor and never betrays his emotions
except in a rare moment but his cunning and intelligence are never doubted.
Despite his quiet and reserved performance, we remain entranced by his
investigation and it’s because Oldman has such a silently commanding presence. Benedict
Cumberbatch (some will recognize him from the BBC’s television series “Sherlock,”
a contemporary reimagining of the famous literary detective) lends a solid
performance as the rookie-like Peter Guillam. David Dencik, Colin Firth, Ciarán
Hinds, and Toby Jones have supporting roles and while they do not share as much
dialogue or screen-time compared to Oldman, their characters are very much
central to the story as their veiled smiles and lingering glances throw off
alarms, keeping audiences guessing as to who the mole really is. Mark Strong
and Tom Hardy (whose career has skyrocketed since appearing in 2010’s
“Inception”) are sympathetic soldiers worn down by the sacrifices they make for
queen and country. Finally, there’s John Hurt, displaying a stubbornly grizzled
weariness as he leads the British Secret Intelligence. As much of the film
takes place in backroom conversations and whispers, the presence of such a
distinguished cast make something as simple as two men sitting in a room
exciting as there is a palpable sense of tension.
In limited release since
December 9, 2011, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” has received largely positive
reviews with 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as ‘a dense puzzle of
anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together
with utmost skill.’ Audience reaction has been mixed as the common complaint is
that the film is convoluted and hard to follow. Yes, the narrative is dense and
you have to digest a large amount of information in a short amount of time but
it is not too much for a film to ask you to think and challenge ourselves. I
admit that I did not immediately grasp all the intricacies of its plot but the
pieces are all there and it does make
sense after sitting down to put it all together. The production budget is an
estimated $30 million and the film has managed to earn that back with $36
million worldwide but its niche appeal will keep it from reaching a wider
audience as the masses will find it to be an impenetrable experience despite
its recent expanded release. Backed up by a number of brilliant performances, “Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy” is a finely-crafted espionage thriller that can best be
compared to an onion whose secrets are waiting to be revealed as each layer is
methodically peeled back. Such a film of intelligence is a rare thing indeed.
Final
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
“We
are not so very different, you and I. We've both spent our lives looking for
the weaknesses in one another.”
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