Tag: Cold

The spy thriller is a popular genre with countless films, plenty of major hits, and several long-running franchises. Secret agents like Jason Bourne and Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt are major American action heroes and, of course, James Bond remains the most iconic British spy. In 2011, however, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy gave audiences a different type of spy drama and a protagonist that easily rivals these other classics. The film is certainly slower and less action-packed than other movies in the genre and Garry Oldman’s George Smiley isn’t tough or suave like Bourne or Bond but, over two decades later, it’s still one of the best spy thrillers of all time.

Set primarily in London in the early 1970s, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy focuses on the inner workings of British intelligence and counter-intelligence during the Cold War. Garry Oldman stars as George Smiley, a former senior official in “The Circus,” a fictionalized version of British MI6. Forced to retire in disgrace after a mission ends in disaster, Smiley is secretly brought back into service to hunt a mole in the Circus. The narrative that unfolds reveals the dark world of espionage and the paranoia of the Cold War.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Priotizes Realism Over Action

• The author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John le Carré, wrote over two dozen novels, nearly all of which are spy thrillers.
• Several of his novels have been adapted into movies and TV shows, including The Constant Gardener and The Tailor of Panama.
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was previously adapted into a miniseries by the BBC in 1979.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy certainly had fewer shootouts and fight scenes than many spy thrillers but, for fans of realism, it had something much better. The Cold War drama is a rare spy story that explores the reality of espionage, giving fans a glimpse of how intelligence gathering and analysis actually unfolds. In doing so, it delivers a much more cerebral and slow-paced narrative that demands attention and careful examination by its viewers.

Unlike the James Bond films, the star of this British thriller is a middle-aged civil servant and intelligence analyst. The climactic moments of the movie don’t involve exciting fights, but revelations uncovered through careful study of documents and clever subterfuge. Further, the spy game is not depicted as exciting and glamorous but as dark, dangerous, and depressing. Analysts like Smiley face constant uncertainty and betrayal and the agents who actually carry out the more violent elements of the trade are looked down upon as dirty and corrupted.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy shows fans that real spy work is far from flashy. The film begins with an operation going wrong, leading to a British agent’s capture and torture. While he’s eventually freed in a prisoner exchange, subsequent scenes show that his experience has left him traumatized and jaded. Other former intelligence officers express similar feelings. The few instances in the film where individuals perform the more popularized spy actions like stealing documents are depicted as nerve-wracking rather than sexy or thrilling.

Far from being boring, however, this more subdued style serves a story that is all the more suspenseful and engrossing for its high stakes and grounding in reality. By the end of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley and his team have uncovered a conspiracy that threatens the heart of British intelligence and could tip the scales in the Cold War.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Offers a Rare Look at the United Kingdom During the Cold War

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is also notable for its portrayal of the British perspective of the Cold War and English society in the 1970s. While James Bond gave the world a classic British spy who regularly went up against the Soviet Union, his stories were always more fantastical, offering little insight into the reality of Cold War Britain. Meanwhile, many of the more authentic spy films of the past tended to focus on the American and Soviet points of view. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, on the other hand, spends a great deal of time specifically exploring the world-shaping conflict from the side of the United Kingdom.

John le Carré’s “Karla Trilogy”

Novel	Year	Adaptations
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy	1974	1 television, 2 radio, and one film
The Honourable Schoolboy	1977	2 radio
Smiley’s People	1979	1 television and 1 radio

In particular, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy depicts British spies as being frustrated with their American counterparts. Feeling that they are not taken as seriously and kept out of the loop, a major element of the plot revolves around efforts by the Circus to get the U.S. government to begin sharing its own intelligence with them again. Further, the movie depicts its intelligence officers, and their organizational culture, as having been shaped by their experience during World War II.

While, except for the Pearl Harbor attack, the Second World War was something that happened far away for Americans, it struck the heart of the United Kingdom. Many British spies in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are veterans of World War II and carry both pride and scars (physical and psychological) from that time. Some characters express sadness that the Cold War is a more ambiguous, less noble conflict than their war against Nazi Germany. It’s also suggested that the mole who betrays British Intelligence was motivated, in part, by ways in which his country and the West in general have changed since the war ended.

Finally, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy also touches on the prejudices of the time. A rigid class system that privileges those born into wealth and status is shown to infect the British government, including its intelligence services. A gay character is forced to end his relationship out of fear that his sexuality will be discovered and used against him. All of these moments come together to paint an intriguing picture of the Cold War from an often-overlooked perspective.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Features Amazing Performances

• Many of John le Carré’s characters are based on real people involved in espionage during the Cold War.
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was inspired by the real-life defection of British spy Kim Philby who defected to the Soviet Union.
• Like the character George Smiley, le Carré, who himself worked for Britain’s MI6, saw his own career come to an end after Philby’s betrayal was discovered.

In addition to an amazing story and writing, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy benefited from phenomenal performances by current and future stars. Garry Oldman led the cast as protagonist George Smiley, depicting a thoughtful man, driven by loyalty and saddened by betrayal from both his friends and family. His colleagues and chief suspects, meanwhile, were skillfully portrayed by Colin Firth, Ciarán Hinds, David Dencik, and Toby Jones. Firth, Hinds, and Jones were already established actors in English-language media while Dencik was accomplished in Swedish cinema with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, marking his breakthrough into English-language movies.

Along with these established stars, John Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch joined the cast just as their film careers were taking off. Hardy, who plays a spy who does the dirty work of British intelligence, had already had plenty of supporting roles but would soon go on to star in films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Venom. Cumberbatch, playing a spy handler who allies with Smiley, had just begun his time as Sherlock Holmes on the BBC’s adaptation of the detective’s stories and was on the cusp of becoming a major movie star. All of these performers gave excellent performances that enhanced the story and made Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy one of the greatest spy dramas of all time.

Nearly two and a half decades after its release, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is still a classic among spy thrillers. It may not have the flash of its peers, but dark realism, a unique perspective, and commanding performances elevate it well above the rest. James Bond and Jason Bourne may deliver excitement, but fans of thoughtful thrillers that depict the reality of the spy game need to watch this John le Carré adaptation.