Dir: Tomas Alfredson, France/UK/Germany, 2011, 128 mins
Cast: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy
Review by Maria Sell
Gary Oldman may have waited 15 years to take on another leading role in a feature film, but he could not have chosen better than to portray the spy George Smiley inTinker Tailor Soldier Spy (reliable sources inform me there is no comma in the title). The character is synonymous with the late Alec Guinness, who played the recently retired, veteran MI6 intelligence officer in the BBC television series, first broadcast in 1979.
This first big screen version of the eponymous novel by John le Carré , features a starry cast alongside Oldman, that includes John Hurt, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Tom Hardy as fellow spies. Set in the early 1970s, George Smiley (Oldman), a retired MI6 agent, is called back into the world of espionage, when a disgraced agent (Hardy) reappears with information concerning a mole within the Circus (as MI6 is referred to). Despite his initial reluctance, Smiley agrees to root out the double agent among his former colleagues but finds that his own judgement is clouded by their shared history and friendship.
While the last decade has seen a raft of espionage thrillers, such as the Bourne trilogy, anyone who expects a film similar in style will be disappointed. However, director Tomas Alfredson ( Let The Right One In ) delivers with this, his first English language film, an equally stylish piece. It stands out through its sombre mood and requires no showy special effects or stunts to keep the audience’s attention. In fact there is nothing flashy about this thriller. Instead Alfredson displays the kind of assurance that few contemporary film makers possess. He allows the story and the characters to develop at a measured pace, which despite the very dense structure of le Carré ‘s novel is all the more rewarding. This sense of realism extends to an immaculate production design that authentically evokes the 1970s period, as well as through his use of location shoots across London and Europe.
Alfredson’s less-is-more approach is also reflected in Oldman’s portrayal of George Smiley. Usually known for his more flamboyant characterisations (Francis Ford Coppola’s Count Dracula springs to mind), Oldman’s understated performance mesmerises through his ability to convey so much with so little. His Smiley does not have to use excessive dialogue or dramatic gestures to reveal what he thinks or feels. He adopts an iconic character and makes it his own and it is his performance that anchors the film. Yet, it is also the superb supporting cast that make this venture such a successful one.
Already a household name for a different kind of investigator (BBC 1′s Sherlock Holmes ), Cumberbatch, as MI6 operative Peter Guillam, assists Smiley in unearthing the mole. Cumberbatch adds a touch of vulnerability to his character that is all the more believable considering Guillam’s position and the danger he places himself in. Mark Strong also stands out as the conflicted agent whose failed mission sets the whole plot in motion.
This old school espionage thriller may not be a great boost for MI6′s recruitment drive, but it certainly proves that intelligence in a film can set pulses racing.
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