Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Pursuit of the Truth

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Rated: R Violence, Some Sexuality/Nudity and Language.
Release Date: December 9, 2011
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 min

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Director: Tomas Alfredson
Writers: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan, novel by John le Carre
Cast: Gary Oldman, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy. Mark Strong, David Dencik, Kathy Burke

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SYNOPSIS: In 1973 and the battles of the Cold War, veteran spy George Smiley is summoned out of forced semi-retirement by the British Minister of Defense to uncover a mole high up in the MI6 ranks.

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REVIEW: Tomas Alfredson, best known in the states for the Norwegian vampire film Let the Right One In (the American version was Let Me In), takes on the John le Carre Cold War spy novel and the original 1979 Alec Guinness TV mini-series with a script from the late Bridget O'Connor (Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution) and Peter Straughan (The Debt, The Men Who Stare At Goats).

The head of MI6 Control (John Hurt, Immortals) brings in agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong, Green Lantern) for a covert assignment in Budapest to try and turn a Russian general who may have information on a mole in the upper ranks of the MI6 organization itself. When that assignment utterly fails, Control and espionage veteran spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight) are forced out of the agency, replaced by their younger subordinates. When more rumor comes to light about a mole in the organization, the Minister of Defense asks George to come out of forced semi-retirement to run a covert operation to discover the truth. Paired with young agent Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch, War Horse), Smiley sets out to methodically piece together all the information and proof he and his team can to ferret out the traitor.

From the opening sequence in Control's smoky dusty apartment flat where Control asks agent Jim Prideaux to venture to Budapest to turn a Russian general who may hold vital information as to a mole in MI6's Circus command, director Alfredson sets a mood, background and style akin to a film actually shot in the 70s. In the era of the Cold War, where every battle was covert and quiet, the film runs the same way. Slow and methodical, you will not see over the top stunts or shoot outs. Instead, you follow Oldman's George Smiley unravel clues that set him and his team on a path to exposing the truth. Using flashbacks, interrogations, and discussions, the story introduces clues and characters just when they are needed. The junior agent Ricki Tarr, played by Tom Hardy (Warrior), who tries to ensnare a Russian diplomat and instead tries to turn his wife Belinda (Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, One Day) isn't seen until well into the second act.

Clocking in at over 2 hours, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is long, but not long enough. The original adaption was a TV mini-series. This time, as a theatrical event, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy loses a little bit in the translation. The identity of a spy asset known only as Carla on a chess piece left by Control for Smiley to find is referenced in conversation between Smiley and Peter but seemed to be lost on some moviegoers afterward. The plot is streamlined and straightforward for the attentive, but may seem convoluted for those expecting everything to be utterly explained to them at the end.

Gary Oldman is superb as the senior agent George Smiley. Rarely speaking until necessary, Oldman brings a quiet knowledge and expertise to the character. The rest of the cast is as high of caliber as Oldman in every regard. John Hurt is fantastic, even in as pivotal but limited role as Control. Mark Strong, Colin Firth (The King's Speech) as the adulterous Bill Hayden, Toby Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger) as the conniving Percy Alleline, David Dencik (War Horse) as the wavering Toby Esterhase and Ciaran Hinds (The Debt) as the steel-eyed Roy Bland, and Tom Hardy as the burned agent play their parts exceptionally well.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy breaks the current espionage movie mold by not given everything away at the beginning or explaining everything away at the end. Many will be turned off by this novel thinking concept, but it shouldn't detract from giving the film a look. Shot with alternate warm and cold tones, the era of 1970s Cold War era is picture perfect, if not perfect for everyone.

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WORTH: Matinee or Rental

Immortals

Brutal and Slick

Director: Tarsem Singh

Writers: Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides
Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan

SYNOPSIS: Millenia ago, the immortals learned that they had the ability to kill each other. The winners of the war named themselves gods, banishing and imprisoning the defeated and renaming them Titans. Ages later, mortal King Hyperion amasses an army to uncover a mystical archer's bow to release the Titans from their captivity. Only one of Zeus' favored mortals, Theseus, has the courage and strength to stand up to Hyperion's plans.

REVIEW: Tarsem Singh, director of such films as The Cell, The Fall, and the upcoming Mirror, Mirror, comes to the screen with an ancient tale involving greek gods and puny mortals. First time writer Charley Parlapanides is joined by Vlas Parlapanides (Everything for a Reason) to rewrite the mythology of the greek Athenian hero, Theseus.

Theseus (Henry Cavill, the upcoming Man of Steel) has led his young life tutored in the matters of politics, philosophy and soldiering by an old family friend (John Hurt). A peasant by birth, Theseus finds himself and his mother forced to wait to evacuate their village while all of the wealthier residents are escorted early by soldiers. Meanwhile, the gods turn to Zeus (Luke Evans, The Three Musketeers (2011)) for wisdom as they realize that King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler) is closing in on finding the Epirus Bow and having the means to release the long-imprisoned Titans. After the razing of his village, Theseus finds himself a prisoner in a salt mine. He is discovered by a virgin oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) who prophesies that Theseus will either mark the destruction of the human race or its salvation. Upon his escape, Theseus is joined by Phaedra, a thief named Stavros (Stephen Dorff, Blade), and select others to track down King Hyperion.

Stylized and brutal, director Tarsem Singh mentioned that he envisioned that Immortals would be a shot with the sensibilities and scope of Renaissance painting styles combined with the knock down, drag out kinetics of Fight Club. Whether Immortals fully realized his dreams for the film, Singh delivers a gods-filled flick wrought with raw power and strong punches, but overall weak storytelling. Like Sam Worthington's Clash of the Titans remake, substance of story takes a back seat to an epic cinema scope, style, and visual effects.

Zack Synder's 300 brought the genre of ancient epics back to full life in 2006. Troy made almost $500 million before it in 2004. Ridley Scott's Gladiator won the Best Picture Oscar in 2000. Since the inception of Avatar's introduction and rebirth of 3D technology and the millennial success of the genre, there has been a rash of mythical Roman and Greek stories - for better or worse.

Immortals looks cool and slick. Throughout the film, acts of betrayal and brutality define the direction of the story. When King Hyperion is approached by Lysander (Joseph Morgan), an enemy exiled soldier, Hyperion rewards him with induction into his ranks with disfiguration and castration. The gods, while aiding Theseus against Hyperion's minions, battle in real time while their enemies skulls are crushed with massive godly war hammers in a new age Matrix-y way. And the last twenty minutes are a non-stop slugfest.

If you are looking for good storytelling to match the cool cinema from the trailers, you will probably be disappointed. If you are looking for a stylized escape with a bucket of warm butter drizzled popcorn, keep this in mind.

WORTH: Matinee or Rental