There is nothing too flashy about “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” the Cold War thriller based on a novel by John le Carre, but that is what makes it so much fun. This is a throwback thriller, a slow simmer of a potboiler with an outstanding cast headed by Gary Oldman.
He plays George Smiley, a British agent brought out of retirement to help the government find a double agent who is a Russian spy. The suspects are whittle down to four key agents (Toby Jones, David Dencik, Ciaran Hinds and Colin Firth). With the help of a young agent (Peter Guillam), Smiley slowly unravels the mystery – putting both men in jeopardy.
This is a very quiet piece from director Tomas Alfredson, the man behind “Let the Right One in,” with more back room politics than bloodshed and bullets. As the mystery unravels, the tension mounts like a slow turn of a screw. Alfredson is able to make something as simple as a shot of a freight elevator opening up create some major tension.
Oldham fits the material perfectly, a quiet introspective bit of acting that is a far cry from some of his more showy performances.
His performance drives a film that may come off as dull to others, but it left me quite interested.
In an age of special effects, it’s nice to see film that takes a story and is confident enough to allow it to evolve on screen without any bells and whistles.
Grade: B
mcompton
