More than just a spy flick, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a hardcore espionage thriller. As a big fan of the Bourne series and not an avid reader upon which this film is based (by John le Carre), I was doubtful about whether I would like this film. Like the usual Bond and Bourne films of late, I thought I’d miss all the sultry long-legged women, crazy car chase scenes, and all the bombs and bullets blasting off. I was wrong.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy starts off in the dead of night where a failed British Intelligence mission goes terribly wrong in Bulgaria. It’s the height of the Cold War, and with such a huge loss, Control (the head of British Intelligence) resigns in shame and his second-hand man George Smiley takes the fall with him. The film picks up a year later with a retired Smiley (Gary Oldman) sitting at home enjoying a documentary on Winston Churchill when his doorbell rings unexpectedly. From a look of relaxation to one of disdain at the ring of the doorbell, Smiley’s life just as quickly takes a turn as he is called back into action.

Control (John Hurt) has been killed. A field agent has uncovered that there is a Soviet mole amongst the top ranks of British Intelligence. Before dying, Control already had a list of suspects including the top 5 most important men in British Intelligence, including himself. So, Smiley sets off on his mission to discover the mole while being a mole himself, trying to be secret to solve a secret.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a bare bones secret agent movie that’s all about double crossings, undercover moles, and government conspiracies. In other words, it’s all about the story. Whatever you might think is missing in action is more than made up for in the script, sound editing, set design, costumes, etc. All the stuff we usually wouldn’t notice in a typical spy movie, you must notice here lest you get lost in the twist and turns, and interconnected subplots leading to the revealing conclusion. Cold yet pure-hearted spying is what this film is all about. No frills, but plenty of thrills, this movie of cold intelligence is nothing short of genius. Just make sure you have the chops for it, too.

Photo courtesy of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

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