Old spies like they were in the Cold War era...

Rating: 7/10 (18 January 2012)

Tinker Tailor has made quite a name for itself. A classic novel by Le Carre it spawned a much loved BBC TV series and various sequels. This film is a modern adaption of the book and comparisons will be inevitable. I've read the book and was intrigued to see how the film compares.
Our lead spy is brought out of retirement to hunt out a mole in a highly secretive and important British intelligence unit. This being the early seventies Cold War epoch, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife, it's that taut.
If you're looking for heavy action, zooming cameras, wild chases and good cop/bad cop relations, then this is not for you. The story flies in the face of Hollywood movies, and can be more old men in smoky board-men meetings and the tension between them. It's all spoken word. Action is minimal. This depicts the spy world in a more mundane light than we've been led to believe but probably is more realistic for it. It's a very intriguing world.
The ensemble for the film is the best part of it all. Gary Oldman is wonderful in the lead role as "Smiley" and is joined by a great cache of other top notch actors (mainly British) young and old who feel perfectly suited to their roles.
The settings are very evocative of the old era and there are enough old references (esp for the British) that really bring out the old settings perfectly.
However, despite the great acting and filming, the film is actually very difficult to follow. It will likely require repeat viewing. The question is whether you were interested enough to want to do so again. Personally, I will but saying that I'm not as in love with this as others. It's a very slow film at times but will keep you intrigued. There's so many characters that on first viewing you can't help but be confused trying to keep tabs with them all, especially as most of the action is verbal rather than physical. It can be hard going.
A good film with a very strong intelligent story. Hard to keep up with it all, but the excellent cast and setting will definitely keep most intrigued and interested, others will likely just switch off. Each to their own.