The British movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is not for everyone. It’s a mind-numbing film for audiences that crave an involving storyline, can deal with British accents and are into the underpinning of espionage that fueled The Cold War in the 1970’s. I am not a big fan of films like this one, but those who are into author John le Carre’s The Constant Gardner, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and The Tailor of Panama will eat this one up like good ice cream.
The story involves Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and the spies that report to it. One spy in particular, retired agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) has the best record for getting the information needed to keep the bureau on top of outside elements that may jeopardize Britain’s security. When things go wrong during a mission by operative Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) in Hungary a Soviet mole entrenched in British Intelligence is suspected and Smiley gets commissioned to ferret him out.
The story, although interesting and intriguing, moves along slowly under the direction of Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) who has all the tools to make the film a thriller. With a cast of brilliant British/Irish actors including Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), Tom Hardy (My Week With Marlyn), John Hurt (Melancholia), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) and Claran Hinds (The Debt) peppered throughout Alfredson uses the ‘bling’ to work his audience into an acting feeding frenzy, but still comes up with a tedious mind-numbing movie.
The movie has been rated R by the MPAA for violence, some sexuality/nudity and language. The two hour plus length needs a bit of pruning and the cinematography gets dull and uneventful.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Unless you are an Englishman, very patient or an avid follower of writer John le Carre, my suggestion is wait for the DVD. (C )
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
