Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Rating: 7/10 (16 April 2015)

I first watched the original 1970s TV series starring Sir Alec Guinness after hearing all about this film version, previously featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, so I hoped it would be worthy of this placement, from BAFTA nominated director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In). Basically, set in the 1970s, during the Cold War, following an operation going badly wrong in Budapest, Hungary, Control (John Hurt), the head of British Intelligence and ex-spy George Smiley (Oscar and BAFTA nominated Gary Oldman) are brought out of forced retirement. They are given information that there may be a spy from Soviet Russia, a mole, at the very top of the British secret service, also known as "the Circus", the Hungary operation, which was disastrous due to the shooting of Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong), was an attempt to identify which one of four senior figures was the mole. Slowly Smiley starts an investigation into who is the mole, Control had codenamed the four men suspected, using the nursery rhyme, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor", "Tinker" is Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), new Chief of the Circus, "Tailor" is Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), Alleline's deputy, "Soldier" is Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds), a close ally, "Poorman" is Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), a close ally, and Smiley code names himself "Beggarman". After much assistance provided by Ministry of Defence worker Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) and retired Special Branch officer Mendel (Roger Lloyd-Pack), many interrogations, including with Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy), an MI6 operative thought to have defected, the mole is identified by the end of the film, and Smiley is restored to the Circus as its chief. Also starring Kathy Burke as Connie Sachs, Stephen Graham as Jerry Westerby, Simon McBurney as Oliver Lacon, Konstantin Khabenskiy as Polyakov, Katrina Vasilieva as Ann Smiley, Christian McKay as Mackelvore, Svetlana Khodchenkova as Irina and Philip Martin Brown as Tufty Thesinger. Oldman gives a really good performance, the supporting cast including Firth, Cumberbatch, Jones and Hurt all give good performances as well, I have to admit I did prefer the television show to this film adaptation, it was a little harder to follow also, but it thrilling and intriguing in the right moments, and a terrific spy thriller. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay and Best Music for Alberto Iglesias, and it won the BAFTA for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Film, the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Sound. Very good!