RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier S**T

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RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier S**T - 27/9/2011 11:59:32 AM

BelovedAunt

Posts: 40
Joined: 5/9/2011

I enjoyed this. It was slow, not a whole lot happened and it dragged out the slimmest of plots for quite a long time....but it looked really good (well more authentic than good) and some of the performances were great. I didn't really find it a 'thriller' though to be honest as there wasn't enough to keep you guessing and no real clues to work with. It reminded me of good quality tv drama which is what it probably should have been.

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Post #: 121

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier... - 27/9/2011 1:45:41 PM

thatlittlemonkey

Posts: 8083
Joined: 24/10/2005

I loved it. Not in a smug, 'I get it' way, but with genuine affection. The performances were uniformly excellent, it looked fantastic and yes it was a 'slow' film, but I never found it less than engrossing.

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Post #: 122

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 27/9/2011 2:07:54 PM

Giant Green Rabbit

Posts: 1107
Joined: 13/2/2006
From: Cloud Cuckoo Land

A good film which for me is also flawed. I watched TTSS and then watched the BBC series shortly afterwards.

They say when you present work, the most important point to get across is 'why should anyone care?'. For me, despite the wonderful style, the generally good pacing and brilliant acting, the flaw is that there isn't enough investment in characters or themes. If we had more information about the potential moles we might have more emotional investment; if we had more information on the bureaucratic power struggles behind the circus, we might be more intrigued as to the eventual outcome; and if we had more political context and depth, the film might pack a greater intellectual punch.

That said, having gathered more information from watching the series (and I intend to read the book when or if I ever finish my PhD), I reckon I'd enjoy it more on a repeat viewing. The characters are now rounded more in my mind, I'll have more context as to their careers and motivations, and it would be played out in a more engaging style and a deliciously sinister atmosphere, thanks largely to the excellent direction and cinematography. A good film, but not a great one.

< Message edited by Giant Green Rabbit -- 27/9/2011 2:09:27 PM >

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Post #: 123

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 11:22:51 AM

ChudMonkey

Posts: 53
Joined: 29/7/2007
From: your mum

quote:

ORIGINAL: Giant Green Rabbit

A good film which for me is also flawed. I watched TTSS and then watched the BBC series shortly afterwards.

They say when you present work, the most important point to get across is 'why should anyone care?'. For me, despite the wonderful style, the generally good pacing and brilliant acting, the flaw is that there isn't enough investment in characters or themes. If we had more information about the potential moles we might have more emotional investment; if we had more information on the bureaucratic power struggles behind the circus, we might be more intrigued as to the eventual outcome; and if we had more political context and depth, the film might pack a greater intellectual punch.

That said, having gathered more information from watching the series (and I intend to read the book when or if I ever finish my PhD), I reckon I'd enjoy it more on a repeat viewing. The characters are now rounded more in my mind, I'll have more context as to their careers and motivations, and it would be played out in a more engaging style and a deliciously sinister atmosphere, thanks largely to the excellent direction and cinematography. A good film, but not a great one.

Couldn't agree more - the look and feel of the film is exceptional as is the acting throughout. Mark Strong, for me, was the stand out but there wasn't a weak link anywhere. However, when it came to the actual nitty-gritty of the story I really didn't feel engaged at all. The big revelation of the "mole" was obvious from the start and for a film which has been marketed and reviewed as a thriller it contained very little to engage your brain (your heart and your eyes yes - its a feast - but its really not as intelligent as others are making out). I had no problem with the pace - it wasn't supposed to be action packed but there just didn't seem to be any tension as the story unravelled.

I'm sure to get some criticism for this only being my second post on here, but you gotta start somewhere!

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Post #: 124

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 12:27:10 PM

demoncleaner

Posts: 2166
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Belfast

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChudMonkey

I'm sure to get some criticism for this only being my second post on here, but you gotta start somewhere!

Post count snobbery shouldn't exist anywhere on the forums. I think the point other posters made (I myself didn't allude to it, but there's definitely something in it) is to do with one post hatchet jobs from people who aren't intentioned to be reasonable (and they don't have to be) but more importantly users who won't come back and qualify their remarks, so have a kind of snide impunity by default.

I think you're extremely reasonable and therefore very welcome

.

I've said elsewhere that I don't find the film particularly representative of the thriller genre and the excellent trailers probably oversell this promise. I've seen it with plenty of friends now who watched it blind and were completely engaged with it.

We were discussing Almodovar's The Skin I Live in recently and I wanted it to be an example of a new "anti-thriller" sub-genre because it occurs to me that as audiences get more (I wouldn't say smarter, rather more jaded ) then there's a contradiction to the thriller genre that it can't survive. A good thriller by this rationale makes the viewer feel stupid and one that the viewer is ahead of defines that film as a failure. The third way, which TTSS (and The Skin I Live In) is kinda representative of is this idea that the viewer knows everything and we're simply rehearsing the facts with a degree of understatement. It's a much more gentlemanly affair to treat the audience as responsible jurors than peanut demolishing ghouls in the gallery out to see something lurid.

< Message edited by demoncleaner -- 28/9/2011 12:29:31 PM >

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Post #: 125

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 1:00:19 PM

thetruth

Posts: 1548
Joined: 3/8/2011

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChudMonkey

quote:

ORIGINAL: Giant Green Rabbit

A good film which for me is also flawed. I watched TTSS and then watched the BBC series shortly afterwards.

They say when you present work, the most important point to get across is 'why should anyone care?'. For me, despite the wonderful style, the generally good pacing and brilliant acting, the flaw is that there isn't enough investment in characters or themes. If we had more information about the potential moles we might have more emotional investment; if we had more information on the bureaucratic power struggles behind the circus, we might be more intrigued as to the eventual outcome; and if we had more political context and depth, the film might pack a greater intellectual punch.

That said, having gathered more information from watching the series (and I intend to read the book when or if I ever finish my PhD), I reckon I'd enjoy it more on a repeat viewing. The characters are now rounded more in my mind, I'll have more context as to their careers and motivations, and it would be played out in a more engaging style and a deliciously sinister atmosphere, thanks largely to the excellent direction and cinematography. A good film, but not a great one.

Couldn't agree more - the look and feel of the film is exceptional as is the acting throughout. Mark Strong, for me, was the stand out but there wasn't a weak link anywhere. However, when it came to the actual nitty-gritty of the story I really didn't feel engaged at all. The big revelation of the "mole" was obvious from the start and for a film which has been marketed and reviewed as a thriller it contained very little to engage your brain (your heart and your eyes yes - its a feast - but its really not as intelligent as others are making out). I had no problem with the pace - it wasn't supposed to be action packed but there just didn't seem to be any tension as the story unravelled.

I'm sure to get some criticism for this only being my second post on here, but you gotta start somewhere!

Hey,you�ve more than two posts now!
Apologies if you took offence,of course everyone does have to start somewhere.
What really irks me,and not just with this film,is the 1 or 2 post poster who slates a film.It�s like they created an account just to slag that film.Then they disappear!
Welcome to the forum!

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Post #: 126

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 1:04:58 PM

thetruth

Posts: 1548
Joined: 3/8/2011

Are you implying this is dumbed down DC?
I didnt think so.I accept the major criticism of the reveal being badly written.
Which is a complete shame,this cast could have knocked it out of the park!

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Post #: 127

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 1:32:59 PM

demoncleaner

Posts: 2166
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Belfast

quote:

ORIGINAL: thetruth

Are you implying this is dumbed down DC?
I didnt think so.I accept the major criticism of the reveal being badly written.
Which is a complete shame,this cast could have knocked it out of the park!

Definitely not, I'm not saying it's dumbed down at all. I'm saying that it's free from the bombast and bluster of big reveals and the heavy-handed audience manipulation of everyday thrillers. And all of this is a very good thing for TTSS.

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Post #: 128

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 2:26:51 PM

ChudMonkey

Posts: 53
Joined: 29/7/2007
From: your mum

Thanks for the welcome @thetruth and @demoncleaner - I look forward to more discussions in the future!

After watching TTSS everyone I heard on the way out of the cinema mentioned how good the film looked and how amazing the acting was but not once did I hear someone say it was an entertaining film

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10. Stoker

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Post #: 129

RE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 28/9/2011 2:32:59 PM

NinjaShortbread212

Posts: 4542
Joined: 26/4/2011
From: Edinburger, Scottyland

*Runs in late* Welcome ChudMonkey!

I am most definitely going to see TTSS this week, I can't stand the suspense any longer! I think though that I may restrain from coming on this thread as the reviews are so mixed....

quote:

ORIGINAL: demoncleaner

Post count snobbery shouldn't exist anywhere on the forums.�

Also this ^

< Message edited by NinjaShortbread212 -- 28/9/2011 2:33:12 PM >

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Post #: 130

WORTH THE PRICE OF A TICKET....... - 28/9/2011 6:02:53 PM

ROTGUT

Posts: 291
Joined: 14/7/2008

just for the brilliant cast and the performances. Enjoyed the hell out of the shabby 1970's setting and the complex plotting. This isn't Bond - on the contrary - it's the polar opposite. Dirty, sweaty faces bathed in washed out light and shadows and dripping with paranoia. Never read the books and never watched the TV series......might just do both now.......FOUR STARS

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Post #: 131

- 29/9/2011 4:12:58 PM

Gerard Lough

Posts: 36
Joined: 25/10/2007

Not all that.

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Post #: 132

RE: - 29/9/2011 11:44:52 PM

Hood_Man

Posts: 11277
Joined: 30/9/2005

One thing I've been thinking about loads though... what was that guy eating outside the cafe at the start, when he was sitting with Mark Strong? The sound of his chewing, the colour of it, the smile on the actors face... it looked delicious and I don't really know why!

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Post #: 133

RE: RE: - 1/10/2011 12:56:07 AM

Spaldron

Posts: 10487
Joined: 6/10/2006
From: Chair

I'd give this 5 stars without hesitation. Definitely an actors piece, stunning performances all round and it looked terrific. Love the dreary 70's look and subtle direction, not one for short attention spans though. When we saw it tonight a (admittedly chavvy looking) couple walked out 20 minutes in! We managed the full 2 hours and loved every minute of it. Will go see again soon.

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Post #: 134

RE: RE: - 1/10/2011 1:43:29 AM

NinjaShortbread212

Posts: 4542
Joined: 26/4/2011
From: Edinburger, Scottyland

I concur with the above, great film.

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Post #: 135

Hmm - 3/10/2011 1:46:29 PM

guysalisbury

Posts: 169
Joined: 3/11/2005

I wanted to like this film so so much! The trailer looked awesome, the cast is obviously fantastic and I heard that the story line was real edge of your seat stuff. Unfortunately I was totally confused and really pretty bored. The performances were outstanding and I thought it looked great. Hardy and Oldman were amazing as always. Maybe I'm not as clever as I thought I was but I found this so hard to follow and therefore a real struggle. It wasn't a drama, it certainly wasn't a thriller, so what the hell was it. Sorry guys but, if you want to see a truly fantastic film, go and see Drive. Its worth it for the soundtrack alone.

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Post #: 136

RE: Hmm - 5/10/2011 11:03:26 AM

galvatron

Posts: 690
Joined: 1/10/2005

I loved it. Great performances all round. I was gripped by the plot. We had loads of walk outs at my showing and loads of students complaining they didn't understand it!

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Post #: 137

RE: Hmm - 5/10/2011 3:29:05 PM

Spaldron

Posts: 10487
Joined: 6/10/2006
From: Chair

quote:

ORIGINAL: galvatron

I loved it. Great performances all round. I was gripped by the plot. We had loads of walk outs at my showing and loads of students complaining they didn't understand it!�

Same here. It is hard to follow at times but that just means you have to engage your brain and pay attention. Calls for repeat viewings.

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Post #: 138

RE: Hmm - 7/10/2011 11:04:17 AM

Happy Shrapnel

Posts: 17420
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Wishing for the Clothes of Heaven

Brillant from start to finish, after all the pap we sit through during the summer this was like eating steak after a diet of candy floss.
The whole cast was superb and it was great to see Gary Oldman reminding us just what a great fucking talent he is.
Gary, you sir,deserve the Oscar.
4.5/5

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Post #: 139

Could have walked out! - 7/10/2011 11:48:04 PM

joe4560

Posts: 3
Joined: 31/12/2005

I haven't wanted to walk out on a film so much since Churchill: The Hollywood Years (well, switch off the DVD anyway. I wasn't quite stupid enough to pay cinema prices for that turgid rubbish). Obviously my desire to walk out on this film was for an entirely different reason and it's in it's own walk-out league.

Clearly the film has some tremendous actors in it and the acting itself is top class. However, the big let down is the pace (Empire?!) and the story in general.

It is not interesting, it is not big and it only feigns being clever. This film was an abject lesson in absolute tedium. But again, the acting.... I really could believe these people were that self-absorbed, yet grey and dull. Dear God! Were the 70's really shades of brown and grey.

3 stars for the ACTING only! 1 for everything else.

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Post #: 140

A singular disappointment... - 16/10/2011 12:31:54 AM

drewbert_1700

Posts: 5
Joined: 3/3/2008

Toneless direction of soap opera acting from a flavourless pablum script. Please, don't think that for the first twenty minutes this is a slow burn warming up; don't think that for the next twenty minutes you missed something; don't be afraid to walk out.

And don't let this turgid misfire put you off picking up the book; a story telling of all relationships betrayed, a man of his country and his comrades, a country of its past and its promise; relationships, truths, and untruths hidden and revealed with scalpel-sharp language.

The film... A damp, just shit turd.

Example: In the book the scene with the owl teaches us and Jumbo that Prideaux is compassionate AND street-hard the significant act occurring 'off-screen', in the film it looks like some bizarre cut-scene from GTA:Provincial Public School.

Hugely, hugely, hugely disappointing.

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Post #: 141

- 26/11/2011 6:32:15 PM

Indiana James

Posts: 36
Joined: 2/5/2008

LA MER

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Post #: 142

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Review - 20/12/2011 1:11:25 PM

the film man

Posts: 598
Joined: 13/10/2010

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill.

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Post #: 143

A modern masterpiece! - 7/1/2012 10:12:35 PM

dannyfletch

Posts: 585
Joined: 25/5/2008
From: Bromley

Tinker Tailor is a slow burning masterpiece of modern cinema and one of the best adaptions from book to film to date. If you go in expecting an action packed spy thriller in the style of Bourne or Bond then you will be very dissapointed. This is a thinking mans spy thriller that requires 100% of the viewers attention and patience as it is slow moving but very realistic. The cast is one of the best british assembles to date and the performances are spot on. Oldman is superb as Smiley and it's good to see the excellent Benedict Cumberbach getting more roles since his brilliant incarnation in the BBC Sherlock series.

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Post #: 144

- 10/1/2012 8:07:13 PM

Musicals

Posts: 9
Joined: 31/8/2006

Exactly why we are getting these re-makes of classic bbc tv series I really don't know; this was not bad but one cannot help comparing it all the time with the original And of course this being originally a series there was far more time to flush out the characters and their motivations.
But this is what really spoiled the movie for me; after all the raves over Gary Oldman's performance what we got was simply a very clever impersonation of Alec Guinness in the same part! His movements,manner of speaking etc were pure Guinness!

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Post #: 145

- 10/1/2012 8:07:16 PM

Musicals

Posts: 9
Joined: 31/8/2006

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Post #: 146

Interesting - 24/1/2012 4:37:58 PM

extrablueboy

Posts: 2
Joined: 24/1/2012

This movie was interesting and very well made, I loved retro tone it manages to set with use of lighting music and costume, some lovely sshots aswell. But the ending was a little dull and slow, And seems to end just before everything gets to interesting. Kinda get the impression that empire overrates British films sometimes.

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Post #: 147

Brilliant - 25/1/2012 3:44:40 AM

Gazz 10

Posts: 5
Joined: 12/5/2009

I was very optimistic about this film as it were being made (having loved Let The Right One In!) and for once with modern movies...it didnt dissapoint!. All the hype was worth it and I loved evry minute of this film. Gary Oldman (superb as always) and a terrific supporting cast. The dark gloomy direction and the fact that it was slow, it was still really tense in parts. Im becoming a really big fan of Alfredsson now. This guy seems to be one hell of a talented director.

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Post #: 148

- 8/2/2012 10:21:39 PM

TheGodfather

Posts: 5100
Joined: 21/10/2005
From: Sin City

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
After Let The Right One In, Thomas Alfredson`s second feature film is another really slowburning film, one that you rather have to experience then to see. If you do so then you got an excellent total picture: the grey,moody colour pllet that perfectly first the 70s and the slow pace of the film in combination with the beautiful cinematography, the magnificent performances of Gary Oldman and John Hurt and a story that is well constructed and told smartly using flashbacks.
It all fits so well together.

Nonetheless there is a lot of jargon and characters fired at you so you really have to stay focussed. That`s why I can understand that it isn`t one`s cup of tea, but I think that this is one of those films that`ll grow on you if you re-watch it.

A future classic? only time will tell. For now, what it is is a truly excellent and intriguing film.

8,5/10

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Post #: 149

RE: - 9/2/2012 9:15:57 AM

kargon

Posts: 1024
Joined: 6/6/2007
From: BOWELS OF HELL

Okay, some good performances but so half hearted performances too, which overall didnt deliver what i was expecting. Kathy Burke wasnt good. Pretty slow not helped by so many names to remember and inaudible dialogue. I havent seen the original tv series, i fancy watching it but is it the same story, outcome? someone tell please

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Post #: 150