RE: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Why Five Stars? - 21/2/2012 11:01:22 PM
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Posts: 319
Joined: 26/10/2010
From: Sydney, Austraiia
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In Roger Ebert's review of TTSS he did his usual shpeel about how in political thrillers you have to remember an awful lot of names and events, and often in doing so, you ignore what is happening.
I knew what he meant, so I went prepared.
Even without acknowledging Roger's review, it's still one of those movies where you sort of need a second person in there with you to verify what has happened in order for you to understand what's happening. It helped a lot.
I was constantly leaning over and whispering:
"So is he--"
"Yes"
"Why is he--"
"You'll see"
This helped me a lot in my viewing, even though given time, I would've understood everything on screen eventually.
This movie requires an immense amount of concentration, and in some instances, interpretation.
This is probably a first for this type of movie, considering spy movies aren't always subtle or hard to understand.
The director and main actor are trying to make a special and downright incredibly interesting story subtle and quiet. As probably spies would've done in the first place. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it worked perfectly.
Gary Oldman's performance is the meaning of subtle; his glances, the way he gets up out of a chair, they all require the same amount of attention a monologue or a fight scene should require. But Oldman never over-dramatizes it. We as an audience are just naturally drawn to it, even though it has no real reason why we are so interested. Oldman's performance mirrors the Tomas Alfredson's quiet, calm direction that is somehow always noticed, even though it's trying not to be.
The opening montage of Smiley going about his business with the calm, entrancing and slightly intrusive jazz soundtrack is meant to interest you, and get you involved in this 70's London world, but somehow I was just confused as to why this montage was shown.
Showing Smiley goes through his daily life with the same precision and intent that he goes through investigating? We already knew that.
Lovely shots? Mellow soundtrack? They are already in the movie. The montage is brilliant to watch, but it's still gratuitous.
The amount of actors being awesome on screen is incredible. While Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy and all the usual suspects are epic, Toby Jones has something to do here, rather than being a small part of the scenery. Of course you suspect everyone on screen. But you can't make a proper cold war movie without suspicions everywhere!!!
In this movie, the film-makers have allowed a scene that sums up each character individually, my personal favourite was Jim Prideoux mercilessly killing that owl. It was awesome, shocking, but definitive. While any other teacher would've let the children be excited by the presence of a bird, especially one as majestic as the owl, but he had to take it out to continue with his job. As he did at the end of the movie in that brilliant scene with both people involved embracing what they must do.
This is an incredible experience. This will challenge and excite you. And above all you're proud that you watched and enjoyed it.
4.5/5
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