On Picking the Right Man for the Job in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Few films come with the excitement that has surrounded Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This buzz has been mostly generated by the universally positive reviews that seem to focus on the incredible ensemble cast, led by Gary Oldman. And the acting here is superb and Oldman delivers one of many great performances. Tom Hardy is equally excellent as the oppressed spy with a grudge, Ricky Tarr. Yet the greatest piece of casting involved in this adaptation is the hiring of Tomas Alfredson to direct this slow burning thriller.

Alfredson made his mark internationally with Let the Right One In, a film very much of the vampire sub genre, but one that managed to subvert expected conventions and deliver something unique and special. Alfredson has pulled the same trick here, albeit with considerable assistance from John Le Carre’s novel. Everything you’d expect to see in a spy thriller is here: the deceit, the codes, the uncertainty. However, just as with Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor never panders to conventional audience pressure by giving us too much too soon, or throwing in a car chase or a graphic killing just in case some people are starting to lose interest. This film demands your attention and if you’re unwilling to cooperate, it will leave you out in the cold without a second glance.

The recreation of the early 70s is extraordinary. There is such an atmosphere at work here that we feel grey staleness emanating off the screen. There is an almost constant layer of smoke or dirt surrounding the characters, whether it is the chain-smoking, or the murky windows of Smiley’s hotel, everyone is clouded in a layer of dirt, none of them completely innocent.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of what is an impressive film in all areas is the way Alfredson weaves the complicated narrative into a film. Cinema has never been able to recreate the intricacies of a novel, but Tinker Tailor comes as close as possible in translating Le Carre’s non linear book into a comprehensible film. Credit must be paid to writers Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan. Again though, the story must be given patience. It is confusing. The flashbacks are seamlessly slotted in and to the trained eye will be obvious, but may confuse less frequent cinemagoers. We are offered very little help in deciphering the story and only at the end, as the tension and suspense has built and built for two hours, are we finally rewarded with closure. And the pay off is worth it. We may get lost at some points along the way, but it’s a spy film, and that’s part of the fun, but the film has intelligence and assumes its audience does to and participating in the mutual relationship between film and audience is rewarded at the end.

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is the anti Bond of spy thrillers. Due to its strong, layered non linear narrative it does not possess that characteristic where one can watch over and over, but it will last and it will be remembered and for years it will be valued.

On Falling Short with The Inbetweeners

Successful TV shows that become films get a bad reputation. It is difficult to make something work over two hours that has previously only had to work for thirty minutes. The Inbetweeners is no exception. A well written, very relatable TV show becomes a laboured film that quickly gets repetitive. There are some outstanding comedy sequences, but outside of these the jokes falls flat. As in the TV show, the four main actors manage to inject their teenagers with a layer of pathos that lies just below the blind bravado. Within the TV show, one central idea can be sustained for thirty minutes, but you can’t do that for a feature. Unfortunately the writers did not seem to see the difference and the whole film works within the restricted limits of a very weak story. Definitley funny, in parts, but the comedy cannot disguise what is a poorly written story.