With the death of espionage writer John le Carré (pseudonym for David John Moore Cornwell) in December 2020, one natural inclination was to return for an updated screening of the movie based on his novel named Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). Today we look into the movie that released in September of 2011.
The movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy opens with an incident in failed espionage incident in European country Hungary, wherein Jim Prideaux as portrayed by Mark Strong is involved in a shooting by a Hungarian Waiter as portrayed by Péter Kálloy Molnár. This leads to scandal in the early 1970s British intelligence apparatus, including the ouster from service of intelligence leader Control and his right hand man, George Smiley. John Hurt portrayed Control as Gary Oldman portrayed George Smiley.
The espionage fueled assassination attempt has ties to a Soviet double agent atop the British spy apparatus, whose uncovering and correction drives much of the remainder of the film. In the new order of British intelligence following the assassination attempt, from which Jim Prideaux survives, Percy Alleline becomes the new Chief with Bill Haydon as his deputy and Roy Bland and Toby Esterhase as lieutenants to Alleline. Toby Jones portrays Alleline as Colin Firth portrays Bill Haydon. Ciarán Hinds and David Dencik portray Roy Bland and Toby Esterhase, respectively.
The wrinkle in uncovering the double agent, and the motivations underpinning those involved in the both the cover-up and the uncovering, propels the dignity of an understated English sensibility through much of what follows. George Smiley is pressed into service to detect the double agent, or mole, in the movie that follows. Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Peter Guillam, whose job and personal cost offers a compelling tale for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy all by itself.
Keeping an eye on the telling of the interest in Ricki Tarr, as portrayed by Tom Hardy, and Soviet spy Irina offers another compelling stream of story to tug as you follow along with an espionage tale that is brilliantly layered from the book by Le Carré and the screenplay by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan. Svetlana Khodchenkova portrayed Irina.
While my feeling for style and substance might err a bit toward a sympathetic bent towards British nostalgia from an American cousin, to borrow from a line used at least once in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I found much of the subtle mechanisms of telling the threads leading us to resolution were well done. To me, the film deserves a better reception, at least in the United States, than it actually received. The movie did better in the United Kingdom, which I reflect in rating Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy at 4-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Matt Lynn Digital 