The genre of "spy thriller" is not normally one that would send me running to the cinema, especially modern day takes on the genre that seem primarily (almost exclusively) an amalgamation of shouting, guns, explosions and car chases interlinked with sex scenes. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, then, sees a return to the sophisticated, restrained and quintessentially British take on the spy thriller. The cast is rock solid and remains so throughout the film - not one performance is a weak link here - which means that even during the more convoluted narrative moments, your attention is still captured by the gripping performances.
Set in 1970s Britain, it captures a sense of time and place magnificently. We don’t so much as feel transported to this place, but as though nothing else really exists - stern, suited, balding men forever sucking in cigarette smoke. It’s the tale of a ‘mole’ or a ‘double agent’ and the voyage to discover who is operating for the Soviet Union within the agency, which is refereed to as "The Circus" by its inhabitants. George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is leading the hunt, which takes him through a minefield of corruption, secrets and cover-ups. In many senses, it bows to the convention of the spy thriller, simply because there is no way to make a spy thriller without really doing so - but it’s a dignified, well-paced, intellectual approach to the genre that rarely, if ever, dips into the bombastic and superfluous take we frequently see the genre fall into. The deaths in the film are minimal, with tasteful and often frightening delivery. There are no car chases, few guns, and the film as a whole is a very quiet affair. Oldman himself is representative of this take; his performance owes as much to what he doesn’t say as to what he does.
The narrative succumbs to the usual twists, turns and red herrings, and at times can become somewhat tortuous in its plot, but never painfully so. It’s difficult to dissect the plot too much without giving away the story’s core, but, while certainly not free from cliché, it’s engaging and does more than enough to keep things feeling fresh. The film is shot superbly, capturing a greyness that inhabits many of the characters' lives and personalities. Clouds of cigarette smoke hang in almost every shot, which adds to the dark, mysterious texture of the already shadowy cinematography. It’s a refreshing take on a genre that has undeniably lost its way in recent years, and, stripped of anything resembling Americanism or Hollywood input, this very British and occasionally perplexing movie is a worthwhile plunge.