“Who can spy on the spies?”

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Director Tomas Alfredson Screenwriter Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan Cast Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth

After a summer of upbeat comedy in the cinemas (with films like The Inbetweeners Movie and The Hangover Part II), this wonderfully stark adaptation of John le Carré’s best-selling novel gives a glimpse into the murky spy game of the 1970s, portrayed by an outstanding cast.

Gary Oldman falls beautifully into the role of inappropriately named ex-MI6 agent George Smiley, a man of high morals and patriotism, who, after a fall from grace, has been reinstated to identify a Soviet mole hidden in the upper echelons of the British Secret Service. MI6 chief ‘Control’ (John Hurt) managed to narrow the search for the infiltrator down to a shortlist of suspects before his own untimely sacking: Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), who takes over the top job after the dismissal of Control; Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), a player who slept with Smiley’s wife; Director of Operations Roy Bland (Ciaràn Hinds); and skillful double-bluffer Toby Estherhase (David Dencik). One is guilty of passing secrets to the Russians – Smiley must root out the spy to save the reputation of the Service before too many vital secrets are leaked. He is assisted in his search for the mole by junior MI6 official Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), former Head of Personnel Connie Sachs (Kathy Burke), and Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy), a fellow agent with his own agenda. The plot twists slyly as we follow Smiley’s investigation, and catch fleeting glimpses of the shadowy past through his flashbacks.

Director Tomas Alfredson (best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film Let The Right One In) carefully extracts his adaptation from the intricately detailed original novel to produce a bleak, beige, suffocatingly male-dominated world into which the viewer is drawn – a far cry from the usual glamour of our James Bond-esque spies. The superficial, back-stabbing nature of office politics is captured effectively which, along with the conversations being filmed as though the viewer is eavesdropping, adds to the uncomfortable air of secrecy and lies felt throughout the film. Hats off to Casting Director Jina Jay – the outstanding cast were chosen perfectly, and the list alone gives some idea as to the quality of the acting. Oldman portrays the taciturn Smiley brilliantly, bringing danger and anger to the character that wasn’t seen in the original adaptation when Alec Guinness played the role. He is backed up, of course, by a fantastic supporting cast including some of the best of British actors, who all seem to be at the peak of their game.

The only flaw in this film is that the whistle is blown too soon. For a few quick-witted, spy-minded types, the guilty party can be sussed out well before Smiley catches up; however this doesn’t really seem to matter – this film is more about the journey than the destination. The story is teeming with tension, secrecy and twists, but while there’s not a lot of laughing to be done, and its pace and tricky plot will not be for everyone, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy still comes highly recommended.