• PDI Press

    PDI Press

    BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

    PDI Press
    January 17, 2022 2

    Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Seven)

    PDI Press
    January 16, 2022 1

    Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Six)

    PDI Press
    January 15, 2022 3

    Featured

    BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

    John E. Meredith
    PDI Press
    January 17, 2022 2
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Marvel at the Movies
    • Muppets 101
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews

    Reviews

    Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

    Movies
    June 26, 2025 7

    Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)

    Movies
    June 8, 2025 13

    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)

    Reviews
    June 7, 2025 28

    Featured

    Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

    Nate Zoebl
    Movies
    June 26, 2025 7
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews

    Interviews

    Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

    Interviews
    July 13, 2018 397

    David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

    Interviews
    March 7, 2017 223

    Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

    Interviews
    September 29, 2016 8

    SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

    Interviews
    July 28, 2016 61

    SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

    Interviews
    July 27, 2016 3

    Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

    Interviews
    April 16, 2016 3

    Featured

    Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

    The Final Girl
    Interviews
    July 13, 2018 397
  • News

    News

    Regular Show: The Complete Series DVD is here!

    News
    February 9, 2025 20

    “PATER NOSTER AND THE MISSION OF LIGHT” UNLEASHES TERRIFYING UNDERGROUND HORROR – A PSYCHEDELIC CULT MOVIE EXPERIENCE COMING SOON!

    News
    November 15, 2023 74

    Breaking Down The Upcoming DC Studios Slate

    Shot for Shot
    February 1, 2023

    Featured

    Regular Show: The Complete Series DVD is here!

    Paul Brian McCoy
    News
    February 9, 2025 20
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Shop
Breaking
  • Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
  • Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
  • From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)
  • Until Dawn (2025)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
    Home
    Movies

    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Review

    Kelvin Green
    MoviesReviews
    September 27, 2011 1

    Director: Tomas Alfredson
    Writers: Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan from the novel by John le Carré

     

    In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6’s echelons.

    Two of the most striking aspects of Thomas Alfredson’s comma-deficient Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are the splendid cast — of which more later — and the frantic pace of the thing. Whereas the BBC took a comfortable seven hours to tell their version of the story, Alfredson hammers his way through in just over two while leaving very little out; he and his crew should be proud of their achievement, as they very nearly pull it off.

    Sharp editing and efficient writing result in a film of clipped and rapid scenes — sometimes the film will switch to a different set of characters and a different location for the sake of just one short line of dialogue — and as such it is a narrative that demands close attention — or foreknowledge of the plot — in order to keep up with developments. It’s a brave approach and one worth applauding, as a lesser adaptation would have abridged the story to fit everything into the running time.

    HARDY

    That said, the pace does cause a couple of problems. Tom Hardy is brilliant as the scalphunter — the insider term for the type of spy who gets his hands dirty — Ricki Tarr, but we don’t get to see much of him; I don’t want to fill this review with comparisons with the BBC adaptation but Tarr got a whole episode to himself there, and with all due respect to Hywel Bennet, Hardy is a more electrifying screen presence, showing as he did in Inception that he’s a much better Bond than Daniel Pouty McPoutyface will ever be. John Hurt is great — well of course he is, he’s John Hurt — as the mysterious, callous Control, but the way the film rattles through its story means that he’s reduced to more or less a cameo.

    If Hardy and Hurt are wasted, it’s a good thing then that the characters that dominate the plot are also played by actors of some considerable talent. Colin Firth and Toby Jones stand out as the new masters of British intelligence, one warm and charming, the other twisted and manipulative, and Benedict Cumberbatch is as engaging to watch as always; his nervous, almost bookish portrayal of the chief scalphunter Peter Guillam is unusual but nothing less than enthralling.

    The central performance from Gary Oldman is picking up all the plaudits, with good reason, although it is in truth both a triumph and a disappointment. It’s Oldman’s quiet stability which does so much to hold this almost frenzied film together and without him it might not have worked at all, but on the other hand he never quite manages to escape the shadow of Alec Guinness and almost seems to impersonate him on a couple of occasions, although it’s a better impression than Ewan McGregor ever managed.

    SMILEY

    The way in which the villain of the piece, the Soviet spymaster Karla, is handled is also impressive; his influence is felt throughout the story but he’s never seen, only described by a couple of characters, and this enigmatic obscurity is symbolised in a great scene in which Oldman’s Smiley re-enacts a prior meeting with his counterpart for Guillam’s benefit, with Karla being played by an empty chair.

    One surprise is how warm Alfredson’s film is at times. The BBC version — and I promise to stop the comparisons soon, honest — is quite cold and detached, with lots of winter filming and a Smiley who doesn’t seem to care about anyone, but the film has some — quite deliberate — moments of humour and even dares to deliver a happy ending; the actual plot hasn’t changed much, but the way it’s shot and given triumphant backing music changes the whole tone of the final scenes. It’s no better or worse than the way that other adaptation I promised not to mention did it, but the difference is striking.

    SHOT

    Thomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy deserves to do well in the awards season — it will sweep the BAFTAs and I’d be floored if it doesn’t pick up an Oscar or two, at least for editing and Oldman’s role — as it is a great example of the untapped depth of the spy genre and a good film in its own right.

    The problem is that it can’t be judged in isolation; the BBC’s version is so definitive that it is impossible to avoid making comparisons — every single review of the film so far has mentioned the TV series at least as much as this one has — and if the film isn’t quite as good, then there’s no shame in that. My advice would be to watch them both.

    (Visited 124 times, 1 visits today)

    Related

    Benedict CumberbatchGary OldmanJohn HoughMark StrongTinker Tailor Soldier SpyTom HardyTomas Alfredson

    FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
    Previous Alphas 1.10 “The Unusual Suspects”
    Next The Vampire Diaries 3.02 “The Hybrid”
    Kelvin Green
    Red Right Hand / Our Man in Albion
    Kelvin Green erupted fully formed from the grey shapeless mass of Ubbo Sathla in the dark days before humans walked the earth. He grew up on Judge Dredd, Transformers, Indiana Jones #12, the Avengers and Spider-Man, and thinks comics don’t get much better than FLCL, Nextwave and Rocket Raccoon. Kelvin lives among garbage and seagulls and doesn’t hate Marvel nearly as much as you all think he does.

    Related Posts

    Havoc (2025) / Novocaine (2025)

    Nate Zoebl
    Reviews
    May 16, 2025 17

    Popcorn Cinema 48: THE MULTIVERSE IS MADNESS

    John E. Meredith
    Popcorn Cinema
    May 20, 2022

    Daily Top Ten

    • AT606-visionAdventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
    • batmanforeverBuilding the Bat: Batman Forever (1995) by Shawn Hill
    • PRDTAdvance Review: Power Rangers Seasons Eight –… by Paul Brian McCoy
    • mysticMuppets 101: The Dark Crystal (1982) by Jessica Sowards
    • She-HulkPsycho 7: Marvel Women We Need Onscreen Now! by Psychodr
    • Harry PotterLost in Translation 158: Managing Expectations by Scott Delahunt
    • i-spit-on-your-grave-09The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
    • meg-foster-headerWomen in Horror: Meg Foster by Shawn Hill
    • war-planet-apes-05War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) by Nate Zoebl
    • Scream-headerWomen in Horror: Sydney’s Revenge in Scream by The Final Girl
    400x400 GI Joe Funko Banner

    Weekly Top Ten

    • i-spit-on-your-grave-09The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
    • hills-have-eyes-02The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006) by Corin Totin
    • AT606-visionAdventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
    • meg-foster-headerWomen in Horror: Meg Foster by Shawn Hill
    • guinea-pig-2-04Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985) by Corin Totin
    • patty-mullen-headerWomen in Horror: Patty Mullen by Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
    • babylon-5-blu-ray-04Babylon 5 Complete Series Blu-ray Review by Paul Brian McCoy
    • Raven’s Watch Production Stills 2016The Watcher (2016) by Jessica Sowards
    • killer-sofa-07Killer Sofa (2019) by Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
    • AttackInterview of the 50 Foot Cheerleaders! by Jason Sacks

    psychodrivein

    We came here to chew bubblegum and write intelligent reviews and commentary on cult TV and movies! And we're all out of bubblegum!

    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 482: Examining Recent Trailers

Two new trailers dropped that are of interest to Lost in Translation: Spaceballs 2 and The Naked Gun!
—
Read more of Scott’s article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #Spaceballs2 #TheNakedGun #Trailers
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Final Destinat Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES is a return to form for a franchise that never should have been on the brink of death.
—
Read more of Nate’s review at the link in our profile!

#FinalDestination #FinalDestinationBloodlines #AdamBStein #ZachLipovsky #KaitlynSantaJuana #TonyTodd
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S02E29 - File Card Focus: Big Boa
 
Greg and Jaren return to take a hard look at Cobra’s one-man trainer: Big Boa! 
—
Watch the @AnythingJoesPod gang at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Cobra #BigBoa #FileCardFocus
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com The Psycho Dri Today at https://psychodrivein.com

The Psycho Drive-In Podcast: 28 Years Later

Paul and John are back with a new PSYCHO DRIVE-IN PODCAST with a brand-new review of 28 YEARS LATER plus a look back at the franchise, its themes, its innovations, and its impact on the genre!
—
Listen to the guys at the link in our profile!

#ThePsychoDriveInPodcast #28YearsLater #28WeeksLater #28DaysLater #DannyBoyle #AlexGarland #AlfieWilliams
 #AaronTaylorJohnson #JodieComer #RalphFiennes
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: Backstock Blacksite - Night Specter (2008)

In Backstock Blacksite, we open the classified crates and dig deep into Greg’s personal G.I. Joe overflow closet, where extras, variants, and forgotten figures wait to be unearthed.
—
@anythingjoespod #AnythingJoes #GIJoe #GIJoeClassified #NightSpecter #BackstockBlacksite
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Predator: Kill Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)

With Predator: Killer of Killers, Predator fans are feasting, baby!!
—
Read more of Paul’s review at the link in our profile!

#Predator #PredatorKillerOfKillers #KillerOfKillers #DanTrachtenberg #LindsayLaVanchy #DamienCHaas #LouisOzawa #RickGonzalez #MichaelBiehn #JoshuaWassung #MichoRobertRutare
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com From the World Today at https://psychodrivein.com

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)

I can’t wait to see more Ballerina films. Seriously. I want one right now.

—

Read more of Paul’s review at the link in our profile 

#Ballerina #JohnWick #FromTheWorldOfJohnWickBallerina #AnaDeArmis #KeanuReeves #IanMcShane #AngelicaHuston #GabrielByrne #DavidCataneda #LenWiseman #ShayHatten #ChadStahelski #NormanReedus #LanceReddick
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com The Psycho Dri Today at https://psychodrivein.com

The Psycho Drive-In Podcast 05: Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2 

Join Paul and John in the fifth episode of the Psycho Drive-In podcast, where they delve deep into the universe of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
—
Listen to the guys at the link in our profile!

#PsychoDriveIn #ThePsychoDriveInPodcast #KillBill #QuentinTarantino #LadySnowblood #Arena #FemalePrisonerNumber701Scorpion
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Until Dawn (20 Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Until Dawn (2025)

If you’re going to be Until Dawn in name only, why not just be that original horror idea and let someone else actually adapt Until Dawn as it was? 
—
Read more of Nate’s review at the link in our profile!

#UntilDawn #DavidFSandberg #PeterStormare #EllaRubin
    Follow on Instagram

    Look Who's Talking

    Shawn EH
    Shawn EH - 5/4/2025
    Thunderbolts* (2025)
    Yep, very well done; avoiding the big flashy battle that these heroes (can any of you fly?)...
    Ideonova
    Ideonova - 12/26/2024
    Page to Screen: F. Paul Wilson’s The Keep
    Not living up to the source material? What source material? The book is a predictable, at times...
    Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
    Fred L. Taulbee Jr. - 8/17/2024
    Cahiers du Horror 03: Frank Henenlotter and The Brain that Wouldn’t Die
    I need to see that again. Maybe make it a double feature with All of Me. Steve Martin is someone you...
    RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

    Archives

    Large_rectangle_336X280
    • PDI Press
      • PDI Press Catalog
      • PDI Press Writers
        • Fiction
    • Columns A-D
      • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
      • ABCs of Horror
      • All Binge… No Purge
      • Anything Joes
      • Beautiful Creatures
      • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
      • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
      • Cahiers du Horror
      • Dispatches From the Field
      • Drive-In Saturday
      • Dungeons & D-Listers
    • Columns F-P
      • The Final Girl
      • First Looks… Second Thoughts
      • The Flesh is Weak
      • Innocence and Experience
      • Lost in Translation
      • Marvel at the Movies
      • Muppets 101
      • Page to Screen
      • Popcorn Cinema
      • The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
      • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Columns S-Z
      • Schlock & Awe
      • Shakespeare on Film
      • Shot for Shot
      • Sick Flix
      • Unnatural Selections
      • Versus
      • Video Word Made Flesh
      • We Got Lists
      • Women in Horror
      • The Xeno File
      • Zombies 101
    • Reviews
      • Books
      • Comics
      • DVD/Blu-ray
      • Movies
      • TV
      • Series
    • Interviews
    • News
      • Trailers
    • Psychos
    • Shop
    • PDI Press
      • PDI Press Catalog
      • PDI Press Writers
        • Fiction
    • Columns A-D
      • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
      • ABCs of Horror
      • All Binge… No Purge
      • Anything Joes
      • Beautiful Creatures
      • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
      • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
      • Cahiers du Horror
      • Dispatches From the Field
      • Drive-In Saturday
      • Dungeons & D-Listers
    • Columns F-P
      • The Final Girl
      • First Looks… Second Thoughts
      • The Flesh is Weak
      • Innocence and Experience
      • Lost in Translation
      • Marvel at the Movies
      • Muppets 101
      • Page to Screen
      • Popcorn Cinema
      • The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
      • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Columns S-Z
      • Schlock & Awe
      • Shakespeare on Film
      • Shot for Shot
      • Sick Flix
      • Unnatural Selections
      • Versus
      • Video Word Made Flesh
      • We Got Lists
      • Women in Horror
      • The Xeno File
      • Zombies 101
    • Reviews
      • Books
      • Comics
      • DVD/Blu-ray
      • Movies
      • TV
      • Series
    • Interviews
    • News
      • Trailers
    • Psychos
    • Shop
    Type to search or hit ESC to close
    See all results
    Username
    Password
    Remember Me
    Lost password?
    Create an account
    Username
    Email
    Cancel
    Enter username or email
    Cancel