TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 127 min.
It is the early 1970s and British Intelligence is immersed in the Cold War. When a top-secret operation in Hungary goes fatally wrong, the head of Intelligence and his right-hand-man, George Smiley, are forced into early retirement. The remaining members of Intelligence continue business as usual, dealing with a secret source called “Witchcraft” who provides them with significant and seemingly credible Russian secrets. It is then that the Prime Minister approaches Smiley with the information behind the ill-fated Hungarian mission: a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of British Intelligence. Smiley is now in the best possible position to uncover the mole’s identity and find out what really happened in Hungary.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Not an action movie–although it has its share of blood and guts–Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a slow broiled spy thriller. The mystery is what keeps you in suspense. The acting was great, and the use of oranges and browns, a smoky atmosphere, and crowded, stationary shots made me believe I was watching a film made in the 70s, not just about them. I definitely recommend it to mystery lovers, spy lovers, or history lovers who can stomach R-rated violence. It was great!
