The fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt

Rating: 9/10 (12 November 2018)

Since I am a fan of both John Le Carré and Gary Oldman, this looked like a perfect match. For once I was not disappointed: Tinker Tailor is a fine adaptation and a masterful spy thriller.
(Now do Smiley's People, please, keeping Oldman and the same writers. The Honourable Schoolboy we can skip, as it's both harder to adapt and, to be honest, not quite as good as the other two Quest for Karla books).
Oldman, one of the most versatile actors around, is phenomenal as George Smiley. Smiley - Le Carré 's owlish, middle-aged spy who is essentially the anti-James Bond - investigates a Russian double agent inside the British Secret Service. Oldman perfectly captures both Smiley's wounded humanity and his keen intelligence - a quiet, unassuming man who, in the dangerous world of spy games, can turn into a skilled hunter.
The stellar supporting cast - including John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, David Dencik and Ciaran Hinds - is also excellent. I have to say Hinds is underserved by the otherwise perfect script though; his Roy Bland (nomen omen...) is the only significant character who remains a blank. Everyone else is so well-sketched, he sort of sticks out.
Director Tomas Alfredson crafts a meticulous, intelligent movie, one which requires attention but rewards it with a tense, compelling viewing experience, the thinking man's thriller.
8,5/10