Beyond James Bond...a Harsh Look at the REAL World of Spies...

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2012)

Expect none of the mind-numbing action of The Bourne Ultimatum, the exotic locales of Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, or the suavity, wit and charm of James Bond, Her Majesties' most renowned fictional secret agent. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', adapted from John Le Carre's novel of the same name, offers a far more realistic and cynical look at the world of spies and international intrigue.
The setting is London in the mid-1970's, in the midst of the Cold War. Retired spymaster George Smiley is called back into service for a crucial assignment-to identify the Soviet mole buried deep in the highest echelons of the British Intelligence organization known as the 'Circus'. What follows is two hours of spellbinding intrigue as Smiley uncovers layer after layer of omission and deception. Covert operations across the Iron Curtain, bureaucratic infighting and power struggles, and even infidelities and indiscretions are all but a few of the elements of this, one of Le Carre's most intricate plots.
While the film is a very good adaptation of the novel, its treatment of the plot is overly complicated at times, and therefore, it may be on such occasions be mildly incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't read the novel. Where the film really stands out though, is in the performances of the actors. Gary Oldman delivers a masterful performance as George Smiley. Though Oldman's Smiley is far more dapper than the character described in the novel, he is still the 'anti-James Bond' in every sense - mild-mannered, soft-spoken, middle-aged and bespectacled, above all a thinking man rather than a man of violence. Tom Hardy and Mark Strong likewise deliver solid performances as field agents Ricky Tarr and Jim Prideux; the former being closest approximation this film offers to the glamorous, womanizing secret agent of the James Bond mold, and the latter being the very portrait of a burnt out and betrayed spy. Colin Firth also delivers a powerful performance as high-ranking Circus agent Bill Haydon. The creation of atmosphere is another one of the film's great assets-where the world of James Bond is defined by exotic locales, night clubs and casinos, prolonged chase sequences and fight scenes...Smiley's world is comprised of suffocating board rooms, secret archives, English country houses and even a school playground.
'Tinker Tailor...' is first and foremost a cerebral film; and certainly not your destination for cinematic thrills. But it is undoubtedly an intellectual 'treat' to watch nonetheless...