Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
With the words 'stylish' and 'cool' being so horrifically overused to the point where they are now borderline ironic, it's a relief when a modern day thriller actually lives up to the billing. It's even more of a relief when said thriller contains possibly the finest bevy of British talent ever assembled.
The imperious Gary Oldman's portrayal of George Smiley is worth the ludicrous cinema admission fee alone. This is before you get to a supporting cast containing the Oscar winning Colin Firth, the fearless and soon to be best actor in the world Tom Hardy, sensational Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch and This Is England's resident psycho Stephen Graham. Oh, and Kathy Burke has a "seriously under fucked" cameo that'll live long in the memory.
Staying true to John Le Carre's 1974 novel while not compromising on quality or integrity was always going to be a severe undertaking for Swedish director Tomas Alfredson ( Let The Right One In) , yet he handled the task admirably. Sure, as events in 'the circus' begin to unfold, you do find yourself watching intently while secretly admitting "I don't have a fucking clue what's going on", yet Alfredson, more than ably helped by his tremendous cast, pulls everything together without completely baffling his audience with espionage psychobabble.
It's been a long time since Hollywood delivered us the tension that accompanies Smiley's masterplan as he awaits the one who intends on bringing the circus tumbling down. In fact, 'stylish' and 'cool' would be insulting adjectives to use to describe Tinker Tailor. It is a film that possesses the effortless suave of James Bond ordering a vodka Martini while some Eastern European strumpet tickles his bollocks.
P.S. Tinker Tailor possesses the finest use of 'Somewhere Beyond The Sea' in film history.
P.S. Tinker Tailor possesses the finest use of 'Somewhere Beyond The Sea' in film history.
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