Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
This was already by far my most anticipated film of the year: a director who knocked me out with his debut, the awesome Gary Oldman in the lead, and an amazing supporting cast. The early reviews have really sealed the deal though. First came this five-star rave in Empire, now The Playlist gives it an 'A.'
Here's a trailer.
Here's a trailer.
- Finch
- Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
- Location: Edinburgh, UK
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Jeff, I wouldn't rely on Empire's reviews - they're far too generous with most films so that they continue to get set access etc. Tinker is, however, getting very strong reactions from more credible sources too, including Xan Brooks at the Guardian, who says the film is widely regarded as an early frontrunner for the Golden Lion. Bring on the 16th!
- MichaelB
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Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
It's also praised in the current Sight & Sound - which doesn't do star ratings or grades, but it would probably be four stars or a strong B if it did.
The main criticisms in Philip Kemp's review are that it doesn't quite expunge memories of the BBC version, which had the major advantage of more than double the running time in which to encapsulate a complex and convoluted narrative (he complains that the film's conclusion is a tad rushed as a result of this abbreviation), but he's also firm about the new film's strengths.
I particularly liked his take on Gary Oldman's performance:
The main criticisms in Philip Kemp's review are that it doesn't quite expunge memories of the BBC version, which had the major advantage of more than double the running time in which to encapsulate a complex and convoluted narrative (he complains that the film's conclusion is a tad rushed as a result of this abbreviation), but he's also firm about the new film's strengths.
I particularly liked his take on Gary Oldman's performance:
In an interview elsewhere in the magazine, Oldman says that his Eureka moment when wondering how to pull off a convincing alternative to Guinness (a performance he'd admired since its original broadcast) was to base Smiley's voice on that of le Carré himself.Philip Kemp wrote:Given that Alec Guinness's performance as Smiley is reckoned a peak of his career, much of the interest focuses on Gary Oldman's reinterpretation of the role. He's a harder-edged actor than Guinness, with none of his predecessor's knack for emollient self-effacement. (In the novel, le Carré describes Smiley as "by appearance one of London's meek who do not inherit the earth", which sums up Guinness's portrayal to perfection.) Oldman's Smiley shares the quiet watchfulness, the use of silence to unnerve and elicit the information he's after; but his reading of the character is tougher, more abrasive, now and then allowing his contempt to show through the mask of discreet reticence. Where Guinness's Smiley always seemed internally gnawed by the consciousness of his wife's multiple infidelities, Oldman gives the impression that cuckoldry has simply become part of his prevailing climate - regrettable but not worthy of preoccupation. It's even possible - as it never was with Guinness - to imagine him getting his own back with the occasional fling on the side.
- RobertB
- Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:00 pm
- Location: Sweden
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Just a small correction. Let the Right One In was not Alfredson's debut. He's been active as a director in Sweden for 15 years. Making tv-films for children and satiric comedies. Try to get hold of the Swedish dvd of "Fyra nyanser av brunt" (Four Shades of Brown). It does have english subtitles, and it's an unusual dark comedy about people who fail when they try to be normal.
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Well, well. Until now I had never connected Let the Right One In with Four Shades of Brown. The latter is indeed a very interesting film.
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I stand corrected on Alfredson. I'll try to track that down.
Guy Lodge, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Telegraph all dig Tinker Tailor too.
Guy Lodge, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Telegraph all dig Tinker Tailor too.
- Ruby
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:02 pm
- Location: Ireland
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I fear I'm part of a minority who found this film incredibly boring.
The real stand-out for me was mangled mixed metaphor of the chess-pieces and the rhyme of the title. What a visual mess!
The real stand-out for me was mangled mixed metaphor of the chess-pieces and the rhyme of the title. What a visual mess!
- jbeall
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:22 am
- Location: Atlanta-ish
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
The Onion AV Club gives it an A-.
And Andrew O'Hehir calls it "chilly, marvelously acted and gorgeously composed."
And Andrew O'Hehir calls it "chilly, marvelously acted and gorgeously composed."
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
It sounds like John le Carré couldn't be more pleased.
John le Carré wrote:Once in a lifetime, if a novelist is very lucky, he gets a movie made of one of his books that has its own life and truth. This is the achievement of Tomas Alfredson and his team.
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote:Once in a lifetime, if a novelist is very lucky, he gets a movie made of one of his books that has its own life and truth. This is the achievement of Roland Joffé and his team.
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Stephen King wrote:Once in a lifetime, if a novelist is very lucky, he gets a movie made of one of his books that has its own life and truth. Fuck you, Stanley.
- Murdoch
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I was gonna post something about Shakespeare and Roland Emmerich, but it would just attract a bunch of Oxfordians and no one wants that.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
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Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
My two favourite laconic author's reactions were Tom Wolfe about Bonfire of the Vanities ("I cashed the check") and James Ellroy to Curtis Hanson about L.A. Confidential ("My book, your movie").
- MoonlitKnight
- Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:44 pm
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
You know things are bad for 'serious' moviegoers these days when not even something 'fairly' accessible like this can open in wide release. ![Brick wall ](*,)](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif)
![Brick wall ](*,)](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif)
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
It's expanding to wide release. I wouldn't make this, of all films, the one I complained about if I were you. There are very good films far more accessible than this that never make it out of a few major cities.
- Cold Bishop
- Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 9:45 pm
- Location: Portland, OR
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I'm torn on the issue. On one hand, yes, even a decade ago, a film like this may have opened wide, and had a good chance of being successful. On the other, the "wide release" is a largely recent perversion, and one that has done more damage than good to the way we watch movies. Everything should be platform released!
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I thought I remembered Ellroy being on board with the L.A. Confidential movie ... and that quote might not even signal disapproval, depending on the context.MichaelB wrote:My two favourite laconic author's reactions were Tom Wolfe about Bonfire of the Vanities ("I cashed the check") and James Ellroy to Curtis Hanson about L.A. Confidential ("My book, your movie").
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
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Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
He wasn't signalling disapproval.Brian C wrote:I thought I remembered Ellroy being on board with the L.A. Confidential movie ... and that quote might not even signal disapproval, depending on the context.MichaelB wrote:My two favourite laconic author's reactions were Tom Wolfe about Bonfire of the Vanities ("I cashed the check") and James Ellroy to Curtis Hanson about L.A. Confidential ("My book, your movie").
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
It's been a while since I've seen it, but one of the supplementary docs on the DVD/Blu-Ray included an interview with Ellroy, and I think he said that 1) he believed his novel was impossible to adapt as he was writing it and 2) he was a bit surprised and very pleased how the film turned out. The same doc discussed some changes made to the novel, including changing an opening (or early? haven't read it) scene from the book into the climax of the film.
Anyway, going to see TTSS tonight...definitely looking forward to it.
Anyway, going to see TTSS tonight...definitely looking forward to it.
-
- Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:56 am
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I was bored as well. I did want to give Alfredson the benefit of the doubt because I liked his vampire flick and I went into this film a bit sleepy. I can't shake the feeling though that Tinker merely runs through standard spy movie cliches, except in slow-motion.Ruby wrote:I fear I'm part of a minority who found this film incredibly boring.
The real stand-out for me was mangled mixed metaphor of the chess-pieces and the rhyme of the title. What a visual mess!
Oldman is our protagonist, but only to get constant flashbacks of a myriad of other names and faces. I needed someone to pull me through this movie, and Oldman's character didn't cut it. I also didn't buy the convenient infidelity subplot.
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
It wasn't just a convenient subplot.Grand Illusion wrote:I also didn't buy the convenient infidelity subplot.
SpoilerShow
It was strategic. Karla had told Haydon to have an affair with Smiley's wife and to let Smiley discover it. He wanted to skew Smiley's perceptions of Haydon and make him question his motives for any doubts he might have about him. Haydon confesses this to Smiley in the end.
- Professor Wagstaff
- Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:27 pm
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
SpoilerShow
I'm still unclear about how Smiley realized Haydon was the double agent. Was it based on Karla showing the cigarette lighter inscription to Jim during their torture sessions?
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Professor Wagstaff wrote:SpoilerShowI'm still unclear about how Smiley realized Haydon was the double agent. Was it based on Karla showing the cigarette lighter inscription to Jim during their torture sessions?
SpoilerShow
I don't think he knows for sure until Haydon shows up at the safe house. He sends Tarr to Paris which he knows will trigger a meeting between Polyakov and the mole. He then waits to see which of the suspects will show up for the meeting.
- Dona Santa
- Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 4:39 am
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
Not too many people talking about this I see. I saw it over the weekend during its wide release. I loved it. The editing, cinematography all great of course I didn't feel bored for a second. I do however go through phases of watching long movies to which I prefer lots of talking and unraveling in which case I only need to worry about how its done. But one thing I'd love to talk about is the amazing score... those opening credits were absolutely perfect in setting up the rest of the film. I think now how Fincher explained the opening credits to Dragon Tattoo was to give the true tone of the that film so audiences would be set straight from misinterpretations from ads but I have no idea what he was trying to do there. It seemed like a mess of an Apple I-ad. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy contains the real example
- matrixschmatrix
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm
Re: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011)
I found this immensely involving and entertaining, though it wasn't hard to realize there was a lot of material cut out- it's carried largely by the performances, of course, but I also felt like the cramped cinematography and extremely grainy filmstock gave it a feeling of being worn-out that fit the mood of it perfectly. To some degree, I wasn't terribly worried about whether or not I could follow the exact ins and outs of the espionage plot (though by and large I didn't feel lost)- I absolutely felt plunged into the world of the thing, and it's a deeply interesting world.
I was actually reminded somewhat of Zodiac, overall- the feeling of intellectual exercise in the service of a cause that was fundamentally lost, the people who let their work swamp their lives until there was little else left of them, and the poorly cut 70s decor of the whole thing. I'm going to have to watch it again, certainly, and I'm interested to see the Alec Guiness version, but it was a really satisfying experience.
I was actually reminded somewhat of Zodiac, overall- the feeling of intellectual exercise in the service of a cause that was fundamentally lost, the people who let their work swamp their lives until there was little else left of them, and the poorly cut 70s decor of the whole thing. I'm going to have to watch it again, certainly, and I'm interested to see the Alec Guiness version, but it was a really satisfying experience.