Any spy film that shies away from Bond and Bourne and takes a more realistic approach to espionage always faces the problem of building excitement. How does a director make secret meetings and sifting through documents as exciting as gun battles and one-liners? “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” does just that, and makes the world of intelligence work during the height of the Cold War come to life.
After a botched meeting that leaves one of its officers badly wounded, the British Secret Intelligence Service clears out its top leadership, and long-time employee George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced to retire.
However, Smiley is brought back some time later when it becomes clear that a new operation is housing a Soviet mole. Using his considerable skill and experience, Smiley must figure out which of the Intelligence Service’s top leaders is passing information to the Russians.
The movie owes much of its success to Oldman, whose turn as the aging and embattled Smiley is the driving force behind the film. In Oldman’s hands, Smiley’s quiet demeanor and detached attitude mask his extreme perceptiveness and skill for navigating the complex bureaucracy of the Intelligence Service.
Oldman is also backed by a star-studded supporting cast, among them Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and Mark Strong. Hardy and Strong are particularly good as two officers whose attempts to do the right thing have only caused them lives of turmoil and regret.
The film’s main drawback is that it can become dizzying at times, as characters start to blend together and the chronology gets distorted. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” may lack the sexy vixens and brutal fistfights one expects from a spy flick, but like its protagonist, its unassuming demeanor is only a cover for something that’s intelligent and exciting.
