Cold War espionage tale is challenging to follow, but boasts a superb craftsmanship from start to finish

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2017)

Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy strays far from the familiarity of other spy films such as the James Bond franchise. This Cold War-set mystery piece sheds the treatment of tense gun shootouts, big-budget explosions and high-octane chase sequences in favor of a more authentic approach to the world of espionage. The story here follows a man with to hunt down the villain using his intellectual skills rather than high-tech gadgetry or firearms, and what transpires is a solidly complex, yet fascinating spy thriller. Taking from the pages of the novel of the same name by British writer John Le Carre, this historical fiction piece offers a layered story of paranoia and deceit that enlisted cultural relevance to the dark days of the Cold War during the 50s and 60s, and transcends into an enthralling tale where action is minimal but the suspense is high. Set in 1974, this film tells the story of MI6 agent Jim Prideaux (played by Mark Strong) who is assigned by head of the department Control (played by John Hurt) on a mission to Hungary. When the mission goes terribly wrong, Secretary Olive Lacon (played by Simon McBurney) learns that one of their agent is secretly working for the Soviet Union and hires retired agent George Smiley (played by Gary Oldman) to uncover the mole. With no one to trust but Agent Peter Gilliam (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), Smiley must use his intellect along with classified information by field agent Ricky Tarr (played by Tom Hardy) to uncover the traitor.
Those who go into this flick expecting action and tensions in the veins of a James Bond movie are more than likely destined for disappointment. Inspired by John Le Carre's source material, this Tomas Alfredson-directed thriller opens light on more complicated world of international espionage that many films of the spy genre tend to embellish. Tomas Alfredson presents the film with both a narrative and visual compulsion that strengthens the authenticity of its Cold War climate, the latter of which involves incorporating a limited color palette of brown and gray in give each scene an old timely look from the 1970s. But it is the story that takes the crown on breathing life into the atmosphere. The film follows the lead character as he navigates for clues on who the informer is, and it journeys through a dense labyrinth of character explorations and twists that firmly build suspense for the final act. Everything moves at a significantly slow pace as the most of the action consists of characters engaging in long conversations. As tedious as it sounds, the long stretches of dialogue are actually what contribute to the blistering suspense that steadily pays off as twists and turns are frequently fired at us. It will keep you guessing until the end. While it is easy to grow exhausted by the over-sophistication of the plot, there are plenty of little surprises sprinkled throughout the stretch.
Arguably one of the most celebrated aspects of this historical fiction piece comes from wide cast of A-list English actors who dominate the screen. Stepping in the lead role is Gary Oldman, known for his role as Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' trilogy boasts an emotionally stimulating performance in the role, easily one of the best performances he's displayed in his career. Standing by his side is Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of the television series 'Sherlock', who does a fair job as MIG agent Peter Gilliam. Simon McBurney also makes for an appealing on screen performance, but perhaps nothing too memorable. John Hurt does his job here as well, but his much of his memorability here is deflated by his short amount of screen time. Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, and Ciaran Hinds make the best of their limited screen time, nothing out of the ordinary. In the end, it is Oldman that stands out among the crowd with his performance.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a fascinating Cold War espionage vehicle empowered by a superb craftsmanship by Swedish director Tomas Alfredson as well as stellar performances from an inspiring cast. As engrossing as it is, the film is not an easy one to follow and could require a second viewing for the brain to compete with the narrative complexity. The film is itself may not be the groundbreaking entry in the spy genre it sets out to be, but it does great justice.