Rare entertainer
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy gives a gripping account of British spy George Smiley’s shenanigans in the early 1960s

STILL remember vividly that 1965 classic Martin Ritt’s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom, and the dialogue-heavy whodunit based on John Le Carre’s best-selling novel of the same name! It raised the spy thriller to another level, and this was in my pre-film critic days.

It all came back to me in a flash and though Swedish director Thomas Alfredson may not have the same reputation of a Martin Ritt, he surely did Le Carre proud with his gripping account of British spy George Smiley’s (Gary Oldman) shenanigans in the early 1960s in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, as recaptured by Le Carre. We followed his escapades in the daily newspapers. Kim Philby was another and espionage was beginning to raise its crafty head on celluloid. That it later reached overkill proportions is another matter but the inroads it made into hitherto uncharted waters was a positive gain.

The screenplay by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straighan is terse, yet littered with a plethora of cameos as we move from one to another like a bee doing its honey business. There’s first Control (John Hurt), a British intelligence heavyweight coming out of retirement, to probe Operation Witchcraft and Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong weaving in and out of the frame like moths to a flame and having their wings powdered with suspicion in varying doses. There were red herrings galore and hence the title, virtual guessing game. But all the while director Alfredson never lets his focus deviate, even slightly. That’s rapport for you, pure and simple.

Alfredson also has the benefit of tested performers in Gary Oldman (underplaying his part), Colin Firth (his usual cameo self), John Hurt (looking tired and crusty) and the apt ambience, which recreates that 1960s feel to it. Hoyte van Hoytenna’s searching camerawork does have its moments as does the rich orchestral music. But the story is the thing and the only thing, in fact. That’s how Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy differs from the mush that masquerades for entertainment these days.

There are no outstanding performances and every player surely plays his or her (though the female species is minimal) part but don’t miss it. It is indeed a rare entertainer, satiating the brain more than the brawn.

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