Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Dir. Tomas Alfredson (2011)

"We're not so very different, you and I. We've both spent our lives looking for the weaknesses in one another. Don't you think it's time to recognize there is as little worth on your side as there is on mine?"

John le Carré became a prolific author of spy fiction, who was inspired by years of working for British intelligence. Unlike Ian Fleming's James Bond series, le Carré's spies aren't dapper agents clad in expensive tuxedos jet setting around the world and sipping on martinis. In his acclaimed novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, there are no megalomaniacal supervillains bent on world domination or exotic locales. The murky events transpire under the equally gray and murky skies of London, England. Tinker Tailor had previously been adapted into highly regarded BBC mini-series starring Sir Alec Guinness as protagonist George Smiley. Tomas Alfredson, the director of Let the Right One In, and the husband-wife screenwriting duo of Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor (who passed away in 2010 of cancer) had the unenviable task of turning le Carré's incredibly dense narrative into a feature-length film. The results are absolutely stunning and, if not for Drive, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy would have been my pick for best film of 2011.

Set in the 1970's, the film opens with a botched mission in Hungary when Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) is shot and captured by enemy agents under the guise of contacting a defector. The failure and embarrassment leads the head of British Intelligence, known only as Control (John Hurt), to retire in disgrace along with his right-hand man, George Smiley (Gary Oldman). In their place is a new inner circle consisting of Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds), Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), and the obsequious Toby Esterhase (David Dencik).

Following Control's death, Smiley is called back into action when it is discovered that Control had been attempting to root out a mole within their highest ranks. Each suspect is given a codename taken from the nursery rhyme, "Tinker" (Alleline), "Tailor" (Haydon), "Soldier" (Bland), and "Poorman" (Esterhase). Smiley himself was not above Control's suspicions, having been tagged with the nom de plume of "Beggarman."

One of the most striking qualities of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the overwhelming aura of authenticity that starts with the colorful terminology used by le Carré. British Intelligence is referred to as "the Circus," the CIA are "the cousins," and interrogators are "inquisitors." It also helps that the plot is loosely inspired by the real-life events surrounding the Cambridge Five, a group of intelligence agents who were secretly working for the Soviets. To top it off, there's the immaculate direction of Alfredson and the production design by Maria Djurkovic. These aspects go beyond accurate fashion, but the way in which every shot is so precisely composed. When we are taken into the den of the Circus, we see a series of winding staircases and endless shelves as if the building were designed by M.C. Escher. The labyrinthine offices symbolize how easily it is for these men to become lost the deception and politics of their work.

Each of those men is brought to life by a wide array of talented British thespians that include noted character actors like Ciarán Hinds, Mark Strong, Simon McBurney, and Stephen Graham. At the center is Gary Oldman, who earned his first ever Oscar nomination for his portrayal of George Smiley. Oldman is known for playing wildly over-the-top villains, but his Smiley is the epitome of understated. He hardly ever raises his voice and the one time he does will snap you to attention. In one of the film's most gripping moments, the camera closes in tight on Oldman's weathered face as he flows into a monologue about his one encounter with his Russian counterpart, the spymaster codenamed Karla, whose face is never seen. Also never seen is Smiley's adulterous wife, Anne. Both are like looming specters in Smiley's life and constant testaments to his personal and professional failures. Then, there's Colin Firth as Bill Haydon, who is handsome and suave, everything Smiley isn't. Firth is the master at playing these smooth Brits.

Younger actors also get their chance to shine with the vets. It's hard to take your eyes off Tom Hardy as Ricki Tarr, a fugitive agent (and a bit of a scoundrel), who initially revealed the existence of the mole. Benedict Cumberbatch from BBC's Sherlock is another actor to watch out for. He had a strong 2011 with the second season of Sherlock. a solid supporting turn in War Horse, and an excellent performance here as Tarr's handler, Peter Guillam, who becomes Smiley's protégé during his investigation. Cumberbatch is a part of one of the film's major set pieces and it doesn't involve a car chase, a shootout, or hand-to-hand combat. The sequence sees Guillam attempting to sneak documents out of the Circus's archives.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy explores the effects of Cold War paranoia on the men and women charged with protecting the Western world from the Communist menace as a richly layered and engrossing potboiler. It's the rare picture that reveals more of itself upon each repeated viewing and gets better every time.

Rating: **** (*****)

Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In - Dir. Tomas Alfredson (2008)


Fuck, Twilight. This, my friends, is how you do a vampire love story. Leave it to director Tomas Alfredson to show that the Swedes aren’t all about the existential quandaries of Bergman.

12-year old Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is the picture of Scandinavian perfection with his light skin, blue eyes, and mop of blond hair. Constantly picked on by school bullies, he comforts himself by clipping news articles about violent crimes and revenge fantasies. His mother and estranged father are oblivious to his problems. One night, he stabs at a tree with a switchblade, imagining the face of his tormentors when he meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), a girl of like age who has just moved in next door. She introduces herself, ”Just so you know, I can’t be your friend.” Oskar seems to be fine with that. Both kids claim they just want to be left alone, but find themselves magnetically drawn to each other. In Eli, Oskar finds the friend he so desperately wants (and needs) and an assertive voice that urges him to stand up against the bullies.

Oh, Oskar, if you only knew your new gal pal was a vampire. Eli’s “father” is behind many of the murders in Oskar’s scrapbook, but his recent fumbling have forced Eli to take action, picking off the neighbors and raising awareness of her existence.

Screenwriter John Lindqvist adapted the script from his own novel and has fashioned a story of dualities on several levels. There is innocence and darkness in both Oskar and Eli. There’s no telling how old Eli may truly be (in the novel, she’s 200), but she is still every bit the typical 12-year old (”…more or less.”), finding fascination in a Rubik’s Cube. The kids even learn Morse code as their own secret language. The film also doesn’t shy away from the naïve sexuality between the characters. The child actors (both making their film debuts) are amazing in conveying these complex emotions, never overplaying their hand as most would.

Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema captures the beauty and the loneliness of the Swedish suburbs and countryside. The virgin white snow never changes amidst the blood red and black night. Apartment buildings and hospital hallways that are detached and alien. Even more intimate settings such as school gymnasiums and Oskar’s bedroom fell as vast and cold as the banks of snow outside. It all emphasizes how small and lonely the children truly are. Much like the relationship between Oskar and Eli, there’s beauty in the film to be found among the ugliness. Alfredson throws in quite a few pillow shots, but there’s a serene quality to them and they never border on indulgence.

If you’re looking for a Saw/Hostel-type experience, you’re looking in the wrong place. Let the Right One In is poetic in its horror, artfully and intelligently painting death and tragedy without resorting to gore and shock value. Not to say this is a sterile film. There’s blood, but done in an inventive fashion. In particular, I point out the attack of the cats sequence, another scene involving human immolation, and the film’s brutal climax. We also finally learn what happens to a vampire when they come in without being invited.

Label it a horror film or a vampire movie, if you must, but Let the Right One In proves the dark side of humanity is far more frightening than blood-sucking creatures of the night.

Rating: ****