"Tinker" Tailored to Perfection!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy @ LA Film School

The Movie: 5 of 5 Kernels

This espionage thriller will leave you reeling with its fantastic cast, rich script, and confident assured direction.

The Pop: 2 of 5 Kernels

Snuck in M&M’s.

The Film

            Long is the list of foreign directors who make a splash with a film and then follow it up with either a disastrous English remake, or a disastrous studio flick and never do we hear of them again on our shores. Tomas Alfredson’s breakout film Let Me In showed a confident stylish film maker who could generate mood and suspense like few others. Tinker Tailor Solder Spy (TTSS) proves that he can do that and manage an amazing cast and create a beautiful period piece out of a dense novel and keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. It’s a treat to watch films like these, especially in the theatre, ones that don’t coddle the viewer, but takes them on a journey through which they feel transformed.

            The film is an espionage thriller based on a novel from John Le Carre who was an actual spy for MI-5 & 6 during the cold war, so the film never suffers for lack of story. The story revolves around George Smiley, he and the leader, Control, of the “Circus”, the British intelligent service, have been ousted. However before Control was ousted (and died) he suspected there was a mole inside his operation and he vehemently sought proof which proved his undoing. Now Smiley’s been asked to clandestinely investigate his old office, a den of spies an secrecy, he’s got a single inside man working with him and its up to them to find the mole.

            That’s about the first twenty minutes, after that the chase to find the mole is on. Smiley knows the mole is one of four men and he gets caught up investigating their various back and forths, spying on spies is full of danger, intrigue and difficulty, Smiley does it with a quiet intensity that is scary.

            The plot is a bit of a labyrinth and to say too much would start to spoil the fun of letting the film unspool for you. Now that’s not to say that I ever felt lost in the film, or more specifically that the film makers ever felt lost, there’s always steady hand on the tiller, that delivers exposition without out simply telling you what’s going on. The film’s rich atmosphere and dense narrative keeps you glued to the screen.

            Walking across that screen is a collection of the finest talent the UK has to offer, led by Gary Oldman, who delivers a quiet performance that is just riveting. Mark Strong and Colin Firth are sublime counterparts one a focused spy turned teacher, the other a cad of the most charming degree. Ciaran Hinds and Toby Jones are under used, but their mere presence adds weight to the proceedings. Then of course there are the two hot rising stars Benedict Cumberpatch is simply brilliant as a mid-level spy out of his depth and Tom Hardy as a brutish spy channels Brando. The cast is pitch perfect and represents the pedigree of the film quite well.

            The direction of the film is great, never overly flashy, always keeping you cued into what’s going on without telling you anything, and without telling what to feel. The film leads you, but never thinks for you, it allows room for deduction, even though the “who done it” aspect, is almost beside the point. The look of the film as well hearkens back not to just its 70 era setting, but with its big grain and dirty color palate, to another kind of cinema.

            It’s difficult to review a film, I only have praise and admiration for, suffice to say, this is a must see. The film goes toe to toe with any spy film, even if it lacks the block buster effects, car chases and action scenes, that we now associate with the genre. We can only hope this will usher in a stylish new set of films, and some hybrids between Bond/Bourne and Smiley.

The Pop:

I was lucky enough to get to see this film for one of Jeff Goldsmith’s Q&A’s. I’m a big fan of the podcast (as a nascent screenwriter: like all critics). LA Film school is definitely a nice venue, and we got there early enough to get some great seats. His Q&A’s are always a good combination of getting to know you questions along with some real incisive ones about the films, and the writing technique. He’s never super critical, but understandably he probably wants to keep booking guests for his screening series.