Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy review
Never has a film I was so looking forward to made so little of an impression on me. Based on the book by spy-turned-novelist John Le Carre and previously adapted into an acclaimed miniseries starring Alec Guinness, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is a spy thriller without the thrills. Set during the Cold War, the film focuses on George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who shortly after retiring from the British secret service is called back into duty to investigate a possible mole in the upper echelons of MI6. Oldman leads an impressive ensemble including Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds and Benedict Cumberbatch as various members of the organization, each with their own secrets to conceal. Structured around a series of interrogations by Smiley the story has a twisty structure that flashes back and forth in time (with Smiley’s glasses being a key to understanding which time frame we’re in). But with each interrogation going down another rabbit hole it’s hard to stay connected to a central narrative.
Directed by Tomas Alfredson, whose previous feature-the Swedish coming-of-age vampire tale “Let The Right One In”-is already considered a modern classic, I had high hopes for this film but it left me completely cold. Like Smiley himself, the film is reserved and buttoned up and never allows the audience in. Condensing a 400 page novel (which itself was made into a 290 minute miniseries) into a 2 hour movie is a mammoth undertaking. Alfredson gets the gestures but none of the feeling. Both “Zodiac” and “Munich” handle complex narratives and a large cast of characters and draw you into the story, but ‘Tinker’ leaves you on the outside, perhaps even by design. I can respect the film for not spoonfeeding its audience, which may have a hard time following the story but will have an even harder time finding a reason to care. After the screening, Alfredson said he thought it was more of a character piece instead of a spy thriller which is fine except you need to care about the characters and I never did.
There are a few moments when it seems like the story might begin to switch into gear but then switches back into neutral and just coasts. The suspense and paranoia from those fantastic trailers are nowhere to be found here. Oscar buzz came early but cooled dramatically and I can see why, despite a fantastic cast, beautiful production design and cinematography (bathed in browns), it’s a handsome looking film that you’re completely detached from.
Check out my recap of the MoMI Q&A with director Tomas Alfredson
