With men in suits merely drinking, smoking, and talking to one another in deep conversations, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ feels like a more accurate portrayal of the lives of secret agents and spies. There are no chase sequences and no fist-fighting whatsoever. What we have here is a realistic spy thriller with a more puzzling plot than the action-heavy spy thrillers we usually get from Hollywood.

The great Gary Oldman (‘The Dark Knight‘) plays in this Oscar-nominated role of George Smiley, a retired agent for the British Intelligence, aka “The Circus.” Smiley is brought out of retirement when his old boss, Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney), requests his assistance in discovering the identity of a mole, or double agent, who has been in the Circus for years. Lacon has narrowed down the suspects to a few individuals: Percy Alleline (Toby Jones, from ‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘), the current Chief of the Circus, to whom Lacon gives the codename “Tinker;” deputy agent Bill Haydon (Colin Firth, from ‘The King’s Speech’), aka “Tailor;” agent Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds, from ‘The Debt‘), aka “Soldier;” and Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), aka “Poorman.”

Any of these men could be the mole, as every one of them is equally suspicious. As these agents’ pasts are slightly explored through their interactions with Smiley, other agents are explored. Agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong, from ‘Kick-Ass‘ & ‘Green Lantern‘) worked on the mole case before it was handed off to Smiley; Prideaux’s mission ended tragically. Agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy, from ‘Warrior‘), an ex-agent on the run, came forth with the allegations regarding the mole and started the entire investigation.

‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ takes place just as much in flashbacks as it does in its present, which is the early 1970’s. The most important past sequences involved Ricki Tarr’s role in  a past mission that led him to the discovery of a mole; the information was given to him by a Soviet operative, Irina (Svetlana Khodchenkova). Other flashbacks involved Smiley and his relationships with the suspected moles, as well as the friendship between Bill and Jim.

The thoroughly intricate plot of the film is very confusing at times, as there are many characters to follow and keep in mind, as well as the many relationships established. In addition, the film switches back and forth between past and present many, many times, sometimes too seamlessly. There’s a scene early on in the film where Smiley receives new glasses. The importance of this scene was not apparent to me during my viewing of it, but I realize now that it’s used as a helpful tool in letting the viewers know which scenes take place in the past, and which in the present. You see, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ requires the audience to pay attention to every single detail, whether its in a character’s dialogue, or in the scenery. Such a strict requirement may be a little too much for some, including myself.

In many spy films, and especially in films with complicated plots, there are usually scenes where characters explain what’s going on. Sometimes there are “surrogate characters” who, like the audience, would like to be explained what’s going on (like Ariadne in ‘Inception‘). ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ has no surrogate character, nor does it take time to clear up any confusion.

Though I was confused throughout most of the film, I enjoyed the performances as well as  the production of it. The majority of the actors in this film are great English actors and none of their performances were any less than great. The cinematography for the film, by Hoyte van Hoytema, is impressive with its dull, almost grainy, grey hue. The entire look of the film appears authentically like the Cold War era. And the small, meeting place of The Circus is very memorable with its orange checker-board pattern.

‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ is a great spy thriller from director Tomas Alfredson (‘Let the Right One In’), adapted from the novel by the same name by author John le Carre. This is a film with great production and great actors, with an incredibly maze-like plot that demands second, maybe even third, viewings.

Three out of four Kents.

Extra Notes:

• For anyone who has seen the film, this is a great article that explains the source of the confusion revolving around the film. Also, the Wikipedia summary of the film helps make the plot more comprehensible.