What has two thumbs, speaks limited Hungarian, and is right up my alley? This movie!
IMDB Plot Synopsis 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.
- You had me at “bleak days of the Cold War”.
- Confession time: I’ve broken my rule in not reviewing a movie I’ve already seen because I actually saw this in September in England; however, since we saw it the day we arrived and were exceptionally tired, we may or may not have fallen asleep during the first half hour. By the end of the film Amelia and I decided that although we clearly missed a lot, we’d probably end up liking this upon rewatch. And we did!
- Things that you completely miss by falling asleep in the first half hour: that Smiley and Control get pushed out of MI6 and that Control dies. This puts a vastly different spin on everything else that happens.
- The expectations I had of this movie were bound up in a) the fact that it just looked good, but more importantly b) this seemed like the first legitimate and proper Gary Oldman film in approximately a billion years. I discount his franchise work only because they’re not exactly vehicles for the showcase of immense acting skill, and when I do that I’m left with the horrific body of work that I’ve endured in the name of being a huge fan. The Book of Eli, Red Riding Hood, The Unborn. This is what I go through. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is my proper reward. Thanks, Gaz. I think his Oscar-buzz for this film has died down significantly but I don’t know how strong it really was in the first place; this is not exactly the most showy of performances that would excite people in an obvious way.
- I kind of wished that in the final shot Smiley had ended up with a pair of glasses to rival De Niro’s at the end of Casino.
- We’re unable to determine what’s going on with the 50+ swimming river. What is this, exactly? You can just swim in segments of the Thames? Is this for MI6 heads only? I am fascinated by this.
- I liked that Colin Firth and Mark Strong were BFFs in this because it let me think this was a very stuffy sequel to Fever Pitch.
- The fashion and set dressing were superb. The 1970s looked spectacular in this.
- This reminded me a lot of The Good Shepherd, which I also enjoyed immensely and which also has a lot of layers to peel back on subsequent viewings, so if you enjoyed that one you’ll probably enjoy this.
- The final sequence set to a French version of “Beyond the Sea” is FANTASTIC. Haven’t seen a movie end this well in a long time.
- I saw this yesterday and have been pretty exhausted lately so this is a review that says a whole lotta nothing. Just go see it yourself if you’re lucky enough to have it playing somewhere near you.
“I liked that Colin Firth and Mark Strong were BFFs in this because it let me think this was a very stuffy sequel to Fever Pitch.”–LMAO!!
I too loved the ending. The song was everything the rest of the movie was not. Can’t wait to see it again.