A chill wind blows through Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, an impeccable adaptation of John le Carré's classic cold war novel.
Set in the 1970s, it recalls a time when a “war” of sorts was fought in secret, behind closed doors and through cryptic messages, without anything so messy as collateral damage; and it evokes an enclosed world of grey men, who have given all for Queen and country, but have perhaps forgotten why.
It’s a bold film, partly for going against the grain of contemporary, action-heavy spy films (aside from one superlative set-piece, this is decidedly low-key), partly because the novel is already represented on screen by one of the most lauded British TV dramas of all time. Made in 1979 and starring Alec Guinness as George Smiley, the series had the luxury of five hours in which to replicate le Carré’s intricate weave of intrigue and betrayal; therefore it would be churlish to overdo comparison. And in its own right, the film is top-notch, highbrow entertainment.
Gary Oldman is now Smiley, formerly number two at MI6, aka “the Circus”, who was forced into early retirement along with his boss after a botched mission in Hungary. But Smiley hasn’t been twiddling his thumbs for long when a minister brings him back into the game. There is a mole, Smiley is told, “right at the top of the Circus”. He must spy on the spies and unmask the traitor. The plot moves back and forth, between Smiley’s covert investigation, aided by the young Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), and his memories of the suspects and one-time colleagues, including the Circus’s new chief (Toby Jones) and its star spy (Colin Firth).
Swedish director Tomas Alfredson’s last film was the vampire movie Let The Right One In. This has the same icy unease, which is entirely appropriate, though I wonder if he hasn’t turned the emotional temperature down too far – we don’t learn enough about the characters to care overmuch about the denouement.
The triumphs of the film are the production design (including the imaginative creation of Circus HQ and a series of fabulously awful wallpapers), and Oldman. As usual, our most chameleon of actors has disappeared into his role entirely. His George could be a bank manager, someone you wouldn’t look twice at on the street. But while his Establishment voice is honeyed, even soothing, the wry, cruel turn of the lip and watchful stillness suggest a man you really wouldn’t mess with.
Shot quickly and on the hoof in a deliberate change from his usual method of working, You Instead is the sixth feature from Scottish director David Mackenzie, adds Barry Didcock. The speed was a necessity. The film takes place at T in the Park, so Mackenzie and his crew had only a few days on site with the “extras” needed to give it the all-important festival atmosphere.
The basic premise is fantastical – two musicians, Adam and Morello, are handcuffed together for a night by a mischievous third party – but it’s matched by the trippy, kaleidoscopic feel of the piece as the shackled strangers pick their way through a world which is part battleground, part fairground.
Harry Potter’s Natalia Tena gives a ballsy performance as Morello and the always watchable Luke Treadaway lends rock star Adam the right mixture of swagger and vulnerability. Honourable mentions, too, for Mathew Baynton as his bandmate and Still Game’s Gavin Mitchell as their controlling manager. A fun film, though hardly career-defining.
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