Paul Yim: (paulyim-deleteme[at]-deleteme-direman [dot] com) 2012-01-15 22:52:01

Oldman An Old Man

Certain concepts can make a movie feel dated. Take the Cold War, for instance. A narrative that takes place in that particularly paranoid time would feel a bit out of place nowadays. The excitement of the mysterious unknown enemy behind the Iron Curtain is gone, you see. It's been replaced by Kaspersky and hipster tees with the letters CCCP emblazoned on them. Though the days of Cold War era spy vs. spy shenanigans are long gone, corruption and betrayal are forever.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is an adaptation of a John le Carre novel of the same name. The story takes place in 1970s England, particularly in and around the British Intelligence Service. Oldman plays a retired spy who is drawn back into the fold when he finds out that a mole in the Service might be passing along secrets to the Ruskies. So spies could become corrupt. Who knew?

While Oldman is brilliant, even he cannot save what is ultimately a flawed movie that should really have been a mini-series on television. Tomas Alfredson's deliberate and slow-paced style served him well in the Swedish movie Let the Right One In, but it only serves to make this movie feel dragged out and uninteresting.

Get your hands on the original BBC mini-series that was made back in 1979 starring Sir Alec Guiness in the lead role. The pacing allows for more in-depth character development and the teleplay was written by none other than John le Carre himself.

Paul Yim: (paulyim-deleteme[at]-deleteme-direman [dot] com) 2012-01-15 22:52:01

Coming Up...

Tune in next time for a review of Meryl Streep's new movie The Iron Lady, where she plays the indomitable Margaret Thatcher in 1980s British Parliament.