The movies have led us to believe that being a spy often involves bravado, fast-paced chase scenes and grandiose explosions. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy offers a different perspective, drawn from the ideas of discretion, paperwork and remaining under the radar. I’m very grateful to several of my readers who warned me that the film is a complex one that you need to pay attention to, and I arrived at the theater fully alert and ready to follow along.
I was reasonably able to keep up with all the twists and turns, and walked out feeling that I had understood all of the character rationales, but I still wonder whether the film might be better on a second viewing than on the first one. I left knowing that I had enjoyed the ride and watched George Smiley (Gary Oldman) solve the puzzle, but suspecting that there may have been visual clues early on that might have made the solution feel more like a certainty. The film put those clues together for me in the end, but it felt like an exposition of the solution, rather than something that the audience was expected to piece together ourselves.
Oldman himself gives a subtle performance, but really has only one particularly profound scene that fits into the “Oscar clip” tradition. With the exception of Mark Strong and Tom Hardy, the rest of the supporting cast was intentionally kept at an emotional distance, which heightened the secrecy and is likely an accurate depiction of men involved in this line of work, but unfortunately this relative anonymity also made it difficult for me to remember which character was which.
For a film set in the 1970’s, it was refreshing to see an admission that there were gay and bisexual agents in the bureau, even if they had to keep their identities on the down low, but I was somewhat disappointed that [SPOILER ALERT] the trope of bisexuality was used to reinforce the idea that one character could not be trusted to take sides. [End of Spoilers]
Oscar Chances:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was nominated for three Oscar categories, and had previously been on my long list for several others. Currently I am not predicting that it will in any gold statues, although it would not surprise me if it took home a few BAFTA awards, where it was nominated in 11 categories.
Lead Actor: Gary Oldman (currently ranked 4)
Original Score: Alberto Iglesias (currently ranked 4)
Adapted Screenplay: Bright O’Connor and Peter Straughaun (currently ranked 5)
As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!
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With all of the constant information being thrown at us, I think that we could have had a bit more of an extended time-limit to really let everything sink in but with the amazing performances from everybody involved, and the assured direction from Alfredson, this ends up being a pretty good mystery flick that just needed more time. Good review my man.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan! I think I agree that a little bit more time to let things sink in would have been helpful. Obviously we can continue to think about it after the film is over, but it does make the experience feel somewhat like a test.
DeleteNice Review. I can see you loved the production value and the over-all tone of the film, but didn’t liked the ending and subtlety of it. As i said, this isn't a movie for everyone, but it sure is more appealing to a wide audience than "The Tree of Life".
ReplyDeleteBy the Way - Are you planning on seeing the new Superhero movie "Chronicle"? I highly reccomend it:
http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/net/ViewEntry.aspx?EntryId=2252820
Yeah, the production design was really good in this, and I liked the story well enough that I might catch it again sometime, since I would like to catch more of the clues.
DeleteI checked out your review too (though I'm still having trouble commenting on Tapuz). I think the story in Chronicle is one I would like, but I'll probably wait for DVD to see it, both because I'm still working my way through the Oscar films, and because I'm not a big fan of the found footage style.
You're right that this is definitely a film that would seem to get better on a second viewing. I'm going to wait for its release on DVD before I do that though.
ReplyDeleteI also think the film will win nothing at the Oscars, but if Oldman wins tomorrow at the BAFTAs it will make Lead Actor at the Oscars very interesting.
Great review.
Yeah, I don't see this one winning the Oscars either. If Oldman wins the BAFTA, then I think it opens things up for Clooney again, but if Dujardin wins the BAFTA then it starts to look more like a certainty that The Artist might sweep--although it's still going to be down to the wire.
DeleteHaven't seen this but definitely have to check it out, if only for the great cast and Gary Oldman's Oscar-nominated turn! I'm a bit weary that it's going to be too cerebral and slow-moving though, from the trailer. I hope not :D
ReplyDeleteThey actually do a good job of keeping the suspense going throughout, but it is definitely one that you have to think and pay attention.
DeleteThe complexity of the film caught me off guard and would have hoped for bigger gaps to digest the plot, but the aesthetics of the film were nice. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Whitney! I agree that they did a good job in the art direction and costumes (at least as much as you can do with a bunch of guys in suits!). Luckily, one of my loyal readers had alerted me ahead of time that I needed to pay extra attention, which helped a lot.
ReplyDelete