Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

And now it's time to play Whac-a-mole. Today, it's a competitive game called Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Our opposite player is George Smiley, John le Carré's renowned spy hero. Can you, the player, whack the mole before he does?

Yay, I found the mole! Whack! On to the review!

It's 1973, and Smiley (Gary Oldman) used to be at the top of The Circus (aka the SIS). Now retired, he's called to unretirement after the death of his longtime employer, Control (John Hurt). It seems that one of Control's inner-circle is a Soviet mole. And that mole is in need of whacking.

The five suspected "spies" are Percy/Tinker (Toby Jones), Bill/Tailor (Colin Firth), Roy/Soldier (Ciarán Hinds), Toby/Poorman (David Dencik) and George/Beggarman. And naturally, it's up to George to whack the mole.

Be careful, because this film punishes low-attention spans. The screenplay, by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, unfolds slowly, introduces plenty of characters and frequently goes back and forth in time. The end result can make for a murky mystery.

Amongst its merits, there's some genuine suspense built up by editor Dino Jonsäter. Even if the combined sum is still foggy, individual scenes can still leave the audience on edge. It also helps to have Alberto Iglesias's moody score to enhance the mood.

As for the cast, the best performance is actually that of John Hurt. As Control, Hurt perfectly portrays him as a wise, yet bitter old man Also of note are Tom Hardy and Mark Strong, who play two other agents central to the mole mystery. Meanwhile, Oldman's performance reflects the film itself; it's so murky that an average viewer might see him as a supporting character in his own film.

It's just one of those films that requires multiple viewings. Fortunately, I found it to be one you could understand partway through the second viewing. But if you can understand Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in one viewing, then give yourself a prize.