Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Intrigue has surrounded the crown for as long as the monarchy has existed, but in World War II the game changed and the era of the modern spy began. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy the brightest of Great Britain were invited to join The Circus where unassuming men and women slipped in and out of non-desrcript buildings making decisions that impacted the nation. The majority of the old guard was lords, cultivated from the best of society, but after the war new recruits were gathered from all walks of life. The war was an equalizer and The Circus was looking for men and women with talent.

After World War II and fascism was put to rest, our wars became wars of ideology. Men who were conflicted in their loyalties became double agents leaking information to both sides. This is the thread that holds the story of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Who is the mole and why is he betraying his country.

Gary Oldman portrays George Smiley and his name is almost like a joke. It’s like calling a bald guy Curly, or a fat man, Slim. His somber, grey appearance makes him perfect as a spy. He’s the kind of man that people wouldn’t notice. He lives his life under a cloud of paranoia, placing markers on his front door, watching for tails, and checking the streets for people who don’t belong. His weakness is his wife and she has recently left him. If he is even sadder it is hard to tell. Smiley is a dour and serious man.

When Smiley is finally taken down it is from an unexpected source. He is fired, along with his supervisor (John Hurt) when a secret mission goes horribly wrong and a fellow agent (Mark Strong) is shot. Smiley is shocked by his sudden dismissal but his intellect is telling him that there is more than meets the eye. He is pressed back into service to find the mole and now he must spy on his former friends.

This film is nothing like a modern day spy film; it is somber, bleak and very intellectual. It is a thinking man’s film and it is not easy to follow but it has tone and power and can be quite compelling. Among the suspects are Colin Firth, Tobey McQuire, and David Dencik. Gary Oldman’s character must sort through all the misdirection and find the agent that is leaking information. The only people who know about Smiley’s task is a whistleblower by the name of Peter (Benedict Cumberbatch) whom he takes on as an assistant and the Prime Minister himself. It is a lonely road that Smiley is walking and he must face betrayal on both a professional and personal level. The life of a spy is not a life of glamor. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy makes this fact perfectly clear.

Rating: First Run A thinking man’s spy film