Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Review

“Toying” with the Audience

 

There is one thing I have longer wondered about espionage movies: why aren’t spy movie more confusing? You would think with the nature of a spy, with all of their secret identities, that a narrative built round their lives would be equally as meandering and difficult to follow. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" represents this notion, weaving a complex story around a terrific cast of actors. 

The story picks up with a retired spy named George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who is told by an Intelligence Official named Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) that there is a mole in their midst. What follows is a labyrinth of a mystery as Smiley tries to uncover who exactly is the mole in “The Circus,” as the MI6 is known in the film. 

John Hurt as the exhausted "Control" in "Tinker Tailor

The movie is based on the 1974 novel written by John Le Carré. Considering Carré was a spy himself, the plot feels very authentic. There are no tense car chases here, nor is there any real violence at all. Instead the movie is filled with tense scenes of men sitting in claustrophobically tight spaces, every scene being filled with inert tension.

At "The Circus," an example of the great color and design of "Tinker Tailor"

The overall since of dread and uncertainty is established well from the outset, as the man known as “Control” (John Hurt) assigns Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) to try to find a potential mole in Budapest. The assignment goes horribly wrong and Prideaux is shot, forcing Control and Smiley into retirement and a new group takes over “The Circus.” Thus Smiley’s eventual mission is set, as he now has to try and find the elusive mole.

Two of the biggest strengths of this film are the cinematography and acting. The shooting in this film is just phenomenal. Every scene is filled with lush, textured colors that are very aesthetically pleasing. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema deserves at least an Oscar nomination for his incredible photography, production designer Maria Djurkovic also deserves recognition for her great mise en scene.

Oldman not too "Smiley" in "Tinker Tailor"

The cast is also exceptional. Gary Oldman leads the way with his academy-nominated performance as Smiley. He plays his part so cool that the very frame seems to chill over. I could imagine very few other actors who could handle a plot this dense and still hold the audience well. Colin Firth and Mark Strong each provide solid supporting roles as Bill Haydon and Jim Prideaux, respectively. I wasn’t completely sold on Toby Jones’ performance as Percy Alleline, he seemed a little hammy to me, trying too hard to appear untrustworthy.

The true scene-stealer, however, is Tom Hardy as Ricki Tarr. Hardy is white-hot in the film world right now, and here he provides a spark for the film in the last act. Hardy is so sneaky and yet honest as Tarr that it provides a unique element just when the plot begins to get a little mundane.

One issue with “Tinker Tailor” is how easy it is to get lost. A lot of the reason I was so impressed with the complexity of the plot is it didn’t stop to explain much, so I assumed a lot of the action was happening before us, leaving the audience to deciphe the larger puzzle. Much like “The Usual Suspects” leaves its audience to figure things out, “Tinker Tailor” presents the information and lets the audience sift through it.

Tom Hardy in "Tinker Tailor"

 The danger, of course, is the plot could be seen as deviating to purposefully throw the audience off if it isn’t perfectly done. I’ve heard this complaint numerous times, and I can’t blame anyone who leaves with this impression. The sheer number of side-plots taking place are daunting, and it’s easy to get lost as the plot wears on.

Thus it was hard for me to form a total opinion on “Tinker Tailor.” I left the theater feeling pleased, as if I had saw something very good, but I couldn’t explain why. I thought these interweaving plot threads tied together into a great tapestry, but at the end of the film I couldn’t see the fully realized piece.

I feel that “Tinker Tailor” is a movie that needs to be seen at least twice to nail down everything in the plot. I also think it could have done a better job of leaving the audience with a better sense of closure. To go back to my earlier example I thought “The Usual Suspects” weaved and equally complex and daunting plot, but it still left the audience enlightened and thrilled, while “Tinker Tailor” left the audience intrigued.

Who is the spy? Shallow focus in "Tinker Tailor"

 “Tinker Tailor” represents a very different kind of spy movie; in an age where most are driven by action, it is cerebral. It could have been even better, however, if it could just let the audience peek behind the curtain, if only for a moment. 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy receives an 8/10