Fantastic, cerebral, but certainly not for everyone.

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2013)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a good reminder that the age of the spy thriller is not yet gone. In this movie, based on a fantastic book, we take a peek into early 1970s British intelligence, and come out the other side both flabbergasted and awed.
This is a decidedly cerebral movie, and as such its rating here on IMDb is perhaps a little misleading - it is certainly not a movie that just anyone can sit down and watch. It's slow, deliberate, and requires you to be concentrated pretty much all the way through if you're going to understand what the heck is going on - and to feel satisfied at the end. But aficionados, as well as anyone who isn't afraid of a film where the most "action" is probably a few punches to the gut or a man being shot in broad daylight, will not only enjoy but revel in this film.
If you're looking for an action-packed Hollywood spy story, this isn't it. It isn't Tom Clancy, it's John Le Carre, and the difference is immense. Like "Russia House", this is a movie that aims to stimulate your brain, and to give you a tiny glimpse of how dark and cold the Cold War really was for those who experienced it first-hand.