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Is it worth $10? Yes
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is the name of the film. Control (John Hurt) has to determine whether Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Poorman or Beggarman is the mole in his British Intelligence Agency, MI-6. In order to uncover the mole, Control sends agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) to Hungary for a meeting. It’s a meeting that goes terribly wrong. Prideaux senses that things are going badly and he is in danger so he gets up and walks away—just not fast enough. Before he can get away, he’s shot in the back and taken away for medical attention and interrogation.
The British government doesn’t take the news of the capture very well, and Control is forced to resign, which also sends the second in command, George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a.k.a. Beggarman, into early retirement. However, once the British government learns of the reasons for the operation—to uncover a mole at the highest level of British intelligence—Smiley is called back into action to pick up where Control left off.
Smiley taking over the investigation narrows the field down to four suspects: Percy Alleline, a.k.a. Tinker (Toby Jones), Bill Haydon, a.k.a. Tailor (Colin Firth), Roy Bland, a.k.a. Soldier (Ciaran Hinds), and Toby Esterhase, a.k.a. Poorman (David Dencik).
What follows as we go along with Smiley on his journey is one of the most intricate and well-designed plots ever established. This is a film that not only requires, but demands, your full attention. If you give it anything less you will be lost and there is no recovery time. This is a story that builds upon itself bit by bit and you have to keep up.
We also learn a bit about Smiley along the way. One thing we learn is that he has a broken marriage. We never see his wife, but through Oldman’s understated, sad performance, we see the toll that his work has taken on his personal life. The sacrifices of a happy home and family are too much to bear as he reflects on what could have been. He is alone and miserable, but such is the life of a fully invested MI-6 agent. One gets the impression that if British intelligence wanted him to have a wife and family, they would have issued him one.
Professionally, though, Smiley is at the top of his game. He’s the best person to uncover the mole because he has the most experience and has seen the most in the field. One of the best moments in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is a quiet monologue in which Smiley talks about a conversation he had with a major Soviet operative named Karla. Not only does Oldman give a beautiful delivery of the story he’s telling, but the story itself conveys the sad truth that Smiley has more in common with Karla—essentially his counterpart in Soviet intelligence—than he does with friends, family, or anyone around him. It’s a devastating and heartbreaking revelation, and we see it play in Smiley’s face as he realizes the deeper truth behind the story he’s telling.
Oldman’s performance in the lead is a standout, and he is well supported by everyone around him. The pieces of the puzzle all come together at the end of the story, and in reflection, it’s a pretty intricate and amazing journey. Just be sure to pay close attention, and the experience should be the same.
Did You Know?
John le Carre, the author of the book “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is one of the guests in the Christmas party scenes.
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dbsouto
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... fantastic movie. I agree with this review 100%. The old people in my theater wouldn't agree though. The old mind gets lost in this film i guess |
erlene4u@yahoo.com
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... What a wonderful played movie!! It keeps you on the edge of your seat!! Don't take your eyes off the screen for a second- you'll probably miss something that plays out later. |
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