Thoughts: I had some what high expectations for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy since the critics gave really high ratings and the book that it is based on was the only mystery novel that my father did figure out before the end of the book. Despite being based on a great book that I have not read, it was not a very good movie. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was not a very good movie. It was an OK movie but not near as good as it could have been. The plot progression was extremely slow but that is not usually a problem in a mystery movie if the time is spent advancing the plot and giving the viewer clues to the mystery. But there was not much that advanced the plot. The plot is kind of hard to follow, especially if you had no knowledge of the book previously. In most movies with a mystery there are some clues but there really were not any. The brilliant performances in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are probably the best thing about it. Also the cast was phenomenal including: Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Colin Firth (The King's Speech), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), and Toby Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger) just to name a few. There was no reason to make this an "R" rated movie; the story could have been easily told without the "R" rating.
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
Genre: Spy, Mystery,
Release Date: 16 September 2011
Running Time: 127 minutes
MMPA rating: R
The Good: All-Star cast, Excellent acting,
The Bad: Painfully slow plot progression, Failed as a mystery,
Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
In October 1973, Control, the head of British Intelligence ("the Circus"), sends agent Jim Prideaux to Hungary to meet a Hungarian general who wishes to sell information. The operation is blown and a fleeing Prideaux is shot in the back by Hungarian intelligence. Amid the international incident that follows, Control and his right-hand man George Smiley are forced into retirement. Control, already ill, dies soon afterwards.
Percy Alleline becomes the new Chief of the Circus, with Bill Haydon as his deputy and Roy Bland and Toby Esterhase as close allies. They have established their status by delivering apparently high-grade Soviet intelligence material, codenamed "Witchcraft", about which both Control and Smiley were suspicious. Alleline shares Witchcraft material with the Americans, obtaining valuable US intelligence in exchange.
Smiley is brought out of retirement by Oliver Lacon, the civil servant in charge of intelligence, to investigate an allegation by agent Ricki Tarr that there is a long-term mole in a senior role in British Intelligence. Control had made a similar suggestion earlier. Smiley chooses a small team and begins to interview people who left the Circus at the same time as he and Control. One is Connie Sachs, who had been sacked by Alleline for accusing Alexei Polyakov, a Soviet cultural attaché in London, of being a Soviet agent. Another is Jerry Westerby, who had been duty clerk on the night Prideaux was shot. Westerby reveals he had rung Smiley's house for instructions, but Smiley's wife had answered, Smiley being away. Shortly afterwards, Haydon had arrived at the Circus saying he saw the news on the tickertape at his club at 1am. Watch the movie to what happens next.
Plot: 6.6/10- The dialogue was well written and concept could have worked but the pacing was terrible and the plot poorly executed.
Action: N/A- That was some very graphic deaths although there was not any action but I did not expect any.
Acting: 8.7/10- The acting in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was its strongest aspect with a top notch British cast.
Special effects: N/A- Not much special effects other than some realistic gore.
Soundtrack: 6.5/10- The soundtrack complemented the movie well but it was nothing special.
Comedy: N/A
Would I Watch This Again: Not unless I happen to read the book at some point years from now.
Overall: 6.1/10- Overall Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy felt like a missed opportunity, it could have been an excellent spy mystery movie but it ultimately failed.
Closing comments: I really wanted this to be great but it was not.
Recommended for: If you read the book, Spy fans,
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My parents went and saw this together and they said basically everything you said. They were too confused throughout the whole thing and I seem to remember Mom complaining about the end. I was sad that it didn't turn out to be a neat movie because all the trailers looked really good. But, I'll probably spend my time on other movies instead.
ReplyDelete~Jamie
@Jamie: Yeah, I really wanted to like this and yes the ending was confusing and very different from the book.
ReplyDelete-James