The Spent and Dark World of Spies as only Le Carre Can Tell It--007 Could Never Conceive It

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2012)

The idealized world of spy adventure which is the trademark of the James Bond books and films really has nothing to do with foreign intelligence. Unlike Ian Fleming (who wrote the James Bond novels), John Le Carre's vision of the world of spies came directly from first-hand experience. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, Le Carre worked for British Intelligence and the British Foreign Service, taking part in wire taps, break-ins, and defector interrogations. This is a world of shadowed corners, darkened rooms, uncomfortable headsets, and endless transcriptions, not ski resorts and casino hotels.
Gary Oldman offers the performance of his career as the older intelligence genius, George Smiley, assigned to find the "mole" inside a branch of British Intelligence code-named "the Circus". A mole is a double-agent, someone pretending to be on one side but in fact working for the other who has burrowed himself inside the upper-reaches of the organization, allowing for easy access to classified information which can be leaked to the other side. When a younger agent, Jim Prideaux, is sent on a mission to Budapest to meet with a general supposedly defecting to the west, it becomes obvious the other side knew almost immediately about the meeting. The meeting point is at a café which turns deadly when even before the meeting has begun, he is shot at. In other words, someone in British Intelligence had informed the other side of the meeting. Also, a another young low-level agent goes to the east and befriends a young woman looking to defect who claims she has knowledge about an intelligence mole.
Smiley goes on a kind of murder-mystery-like investigation to determine why the Budapest meeting became a fiasco and simultaneously uncover the identity of the mole. Each of the witnesses give their understanding of the story, how they are involved, and how each story fits into a larger mosaic of intrigue and betrayal. Part of the trick to navigating this film is understanding when flashbacks are occurring and when the film is in the present moment. The top suspects are all high-ranking British Intelligence agents, and given code names: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Poor Man. When he identifies the perpetrator, instead of indicating them by name, Smiley will simply offer the code name.
An outstanding, if darkly atmospheric film which is a much more realistic portrayal of the shrouded world of foreign espionage. Some younger viewers may be frustrated because of the lack of action and the less than straight-forward linear progression. Each piece of the puzzle takes time to come to the fore. This film is more of a subtler suspense thriller rather than an action movie. Early on, many incidences are revealed without explanation at first. But if you can be patient, the film really starts to kick in at about the 30 to 45 min mark.
What we really learn is that the world of spies is ultimately about secrets. Who has them, who doesn't, and who doesn't want which secret to be revealed to whom. And all of the participants are haggard, spent people, not the glamorous icons portrayed in Hollywood spy thrillers. The skis, cocktails, waitresses, and roulette tables are strangely absent. Dim halls, unkempt studies, and damp cells are where these people reside.