Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
- Details
- Written by T. Rake
When one fabricates a dream world there lies a certain beauty in accepting it as truth without believing it too much. When a group of people take up the same project, at some point someone will start believing it more than accepting it. That's the premise and excitement of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy—sleuthing out who forgot the game.
Enter George Smiley our ironically-named protagonist. His trademark wide angle glasses make it clear what his role is in the drama. He sets about in a 2-hour quest to play the game so exquisitely that he sees 'the tell' and is able to posit the truth of the game. His acuity is rewarded but it comes as such at a price on a few levels.
But, I am getting ahead of things. Hindsight affords us a larger view of the cold world lie which is a new flavor to this modern-day adaptation. We see a world which is a beneficiary of that lie both politically and monetarily and we accept it.
The mastermind of this betrayal and intrigue is Soviet spy, Karla, who has strings in every pot to mix metaphors. Has he infiltrated British intelligence at the highest level, is he an American plant, is he.... full stop. His fashion accessory is an engraved lighter which once belonged to Smiley and leaves one with an unclear sense of what his allegorical role is in this tale. Is the flame a sign of destruction or enlightenment? Or, merely subterfuge.
The original five-hour TV series from 1979 more faithfully re-creates Smiley's cold war petri dish in stark, distasteful ways. I must confess, I found it spellbinding. This big screen version appeals equally for different reasons.
With life, as in movie reviews, one should aspire to define the context so that how it is viewed dominates what happens. It's a good time. Nice period costumes. Superb direction. Probably appeals more to anyone who has grown tired of Hobbits, Wizards, Vampires, Pirates.