Thursday 8 March 2012

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Phil's Five Words for Films

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy  There is no doubt that TTSS is a beautiful looking film, lovingly directed by Tomas Alfredson ( Let the Right One In - reviewed here ) but with its Cold War setting, pedestrian pacing and hushed dialogue, it is a film that requires total concentration.  Anyone expecting an action spy thriller will be very disappointed and anyone who has not read the Le Carre book or seen a previous version of the tale will need to work hard to keep up.  As a period piece, it looks and sounds great and Gary Oldman is moody, sombre and brilliant as George Smiley, a retired spy master hunting a mole within his team.  TTSS is packed with fine performances and directorial touches but the story is almost lost in the background of intrigue and mistrust.  There has been a lot of praise for TTSS but with a slow, dense 2 hour run time, it certainly will not be a film for everyone.  I enjoyed it but it's not an edge of your seat spy thriller, more an 'are you sitting comfortably',  thoughtful, puzzle of a drama.  Hard going.

7.5 out of 10.
Cert 15 (uk)
2011. Out now.

1 comment:

  1. Isn't Benedict Cumberbatch in this film? He is? Well then it's AWESOME. 10 out of 10. End of. END OF!

    ReplyDelete