2 weeks Ago By Emily Malia
“Excellent casting, acting and directing” is what one viewer claimed after watching this hit thriller, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 spy film set during the Cold War which went on to be the highest-grossing film at the British box office for three whole weeks. Years later, film fans are still raving about the plot, with one critic claiming it was one of the “greatest spy thrillers of the century”.
A Rotten Tomatoes review states: “A calm, deep, complex yet intense spy movie that I still enjoy watching today. The scene setup and details are amazing, drastically different from those with aggressive and dramatic fight/CGI movies, which usually have very little plot over storyline and character details.” Based on the 1974 novel, the thriller takes you back to 1970s London during the hunt for a Soviet double agent working at the very top of the British secret service.
The head of MI6 discreetly dispatches an agent to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of the secret Soviet spy but dies before the information can be revealed. After being forced into retirement, the ex-spy George Smiley, played by Gary Oldman, is asked by a senior member of the government to join forces and investigate the mole. During his close examination, he quickly learns that the said Soviet source has solidified themselves within the service in an attempt to get U.
S. intelligence information. A viewer took to Rotten Tomatoes to write: “This is a masterfully crafted spy games movie that may be too slow for some.
Paranoia, anxiety and betrayal everywhere. I loved it.” Another added: “Slow, serious, at times bleak.
With an ever-present tension. Spectacular acting and visually beautiful. It takes a bit of patience to fully enjoy this one, but it definitely pays off.
” Made up of a stellar cast, it’s no surprise that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy went on to win a BAFTA for Outstanding British Film. With the likes of Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kathy Burke in its A-list ensemble, the film also received three major Oscar nominations. An impressed viewer even claimed the film was made up of the “best acting ever”.
They wrote: “With the best casting ever done in a movie! And the best movie screenplay ever adapted!” However, not everyone thinks the thriller is deserving of its high accolades. One disappointed viewer wrote: “A sincere attempt but falls short of the 1979 miniseries. The movie relies on visuals and contains minimal exposition; it works when you know the story.
” Many viewers have praised the film for its ‘slow-burn’ style of storytelling, in place of popular action-packed scenes. A review reads: “It doesn't surprise me that people who are spoon-fed CGI and explosions and shootouts every three minutes won't enjoy it, but for me, I'd like to see more films like this being made.” Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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