Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy decodes le Carré's informative novel into a taut spy thriller.

Rating: 7/10 (13 April 2020)

In a game of chess, strategy must be dictated within a minimal set of moves in order to establish a victory plan. Observing the opponent's mindset and how they operate the various delicately crafted pieces. Divulging in deception, chess is a tactician's game. A set of rules that enable each player to extrapolate a weakness from one another. The Cold War, a historic elongated period of time revolving around geopolitical tension, pitted nations against each other in regional conflicts known as proxy wars. No large-scale battles took place, but rather instigation through gathering of intelligence. The Soviet Union would send KGB "moles" to the US and its allies to monitor governmental movements, allowing the former to proceed with advantageous military arrangements before other nations.
Author le Carré had worked for both MI5 and MI6 during two decades of the Cold War, and thus utilised his experience to produce espionage novels, one of which was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. A story revolving around the hunt for a Soviet double agent nestled within the top of the British secret service. Participating in a secretive operation known as "Witchcraft", which sees the trading of intelligence between the CIA and the Soviet Union, not realising that it's all just a front for the former. Five members of the "Circus", a colloquial term for the head of British intelligence, are suspects. Alleline ("Tinker"), Haydon ("Tailor"), Bland ("Soldier"), Esterhase ("Poorman"), and the feature's protagonist Smiley ("Beggarman"). Having been forced out of the Service, Smiley decides to investigate the proposed theory as a solo endeavour. To find the mole.
The arresting aspect to director Alfredson's first non-Swedish feature, is undoubtedly O'Connor and Straughan's screenplay. Adapting a le Carré novel is challenging, given the cryptic language utilised and hesitant time period of the plot itself. To minimise and compress its contents into a fragmented narrative structure that reveals crucial minor details one minute at a time, is nothing short of masterful. Expositional dialogue is limited, consequently retaining an authentic accuracy for the meticulously constructed world and the characters that populate it. Some may find the plot difficult to follow because of this, subsiding into a purposefully slow pace with zero action. Others, including myself, will prefer the periphrastic approach. It showcases linguistic talent to supply taut thrills from words alone. The characters, aside from Smiley whose personal complexions with his wife power his motives, are non-relatable. There's no emotional connectivity with any of them. Just intelligence operators doing their jobs. And that's why it works so well! Going back to the chess analogy, the characters are simply pieces on a regional board that, when moved correctly, are able to progress with the game at hand. A meticulously constructed screenplay that does not garner enough acclaim.
Alfredson's employment of flashbacks and non-progressive scenarios does cause the narrative to meander slightly, particularly when depicting Tarr's backstory in Istanbul, however manages to retain the central plot strand fully grounded. Bolstered by van Hoytema's gorgeous cinematography that implemented noir aesthetics and Iglesias' smooth score musically exploiting Cold War-era styles. Accompanied by an outstanding list of British cast members, especially Oldman as Smiley who incidentally performs one of the best character monologues in modern cinema, that maintains an urgency for the central plot.
However, Alfredson falters at the last hurdle. This adaptation's conclusion, including the spy's/spies' reveal and the proceeding montage of events for each character as they move on from the investigation, was utterly underwhelming. Smiley confronts the suspect(s), only for the tension to instantly dissipate when it cuts to a new scene the following day, which sees the accused splurge a multitude of confessions. The tautness that powered Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy had diminished, with an abhorrently rushed conclusion that relinquished two hours worth of investigation. It may be perceived as realistic, yet the overall editing execution during this climax ruined its chances at being impactful. Frustrating, really.
Much like the sending and receiving of delicate intel, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy relishes in authentic spy tropes allowing viewers to decode its contents without the extravagance of Hollywood thrills. It's an adaptation that projects its intricate screenplay to the forefront, allowing the ornate words to perform the feature's duties. If only the conclusion had the same level of care, this could've been a Cold War masterpiece.