Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Date: January 19, 2012

(0)
Be the first to write a review

Jim Schembri

Despite the accolades this espionage reboot is a dull slog, writes JIM SCHEMBRI

Cold war bore

Looking for clues: A British agent (Benedict Cumberbatch) gets in a spot of reading during the tangled mess of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Reviewer rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Reader rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (225 votes)

Genre: Drama
Running time: 127 min
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Actors: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy
OFLC rating: MA 15+
Year: 2012
Language: English

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

(128 min) MA

A tangled, sombre, impenetrable mess of a film.

Quote all you like from the accolades and acclaim this film has received, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a tangled, sombre, impenetrable mess of a film. And it's as dull as five-day old dishwater. Based on the classic, complicated Cold War novel by John le Carre, director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) does a terrible job trying to revive the anxiety of Cold War tensions as he fails to pump life into the hunt for a spy inside the British secret service.

A crusty, laconic Gary Oldman is George Smiley, the super-spy at the core of a gaggle of bumbling stiff upper-lippers. It wasn't out of the question that a compacted movie version of the sprawling story could improve upon the superb 1979 mini-series (starring Alec Guinness), but that certainly hasn't happened here.

General release

Follow Schembri on Twitter.

twitter.com/jimschembri

Reviews

Be the first to write a review.

Write a review

You are logged in as [Logout]

All information entered below may be published.

Screen name (required)

Error: Please enter your screen name.

Error: Your Screen Name must be less than 255 characters.

Location (optional)

Error: Your Location must be less than 255 characters.

Your rating (required)

Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy:

Use [left] and [right] keys to rate, [enter] to submit, [esc] to cancel.

Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with half a star Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 1 star Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 1.5 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 2 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 2.5 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 3 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 3.5 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 4 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 4.5 stars Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with 5 stars

Rate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Error: Please select your rating for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'.

Error: Please select a rating.

Your review (required) 300 words remaining

Error: Please enter your review.

Error: Your Message must be less than 300 words.

Post to: Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn

I understand that submission of this content is covered by the Conditions of Use by which I am bound and Commenting Guidelines are available for my reference.

You need to have read and accepted the Conditions of Use.