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'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Trailer (Oldman, Firth, Hardy, Strong)

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Just saw this. Started off slow for me but then the time went by real fast. There is so much richness to ingest, so much foreshadowing that I need to see it again for sure.
 
I saw it yesterday. Really enjoyed it, but during the first half they introduce you to so many characters it's hard to keep up. I'll watch it a second time once it gets released on Blu-Ray so I can get it all :P
 
I'd just like to wish that American audiences loved this as much as I did. Phenomenal movie, but I've got a feeling it isn't going to get any awards love. Looking back, I can't remember the last time my favourite movie from a given year won the Oscar... Probably not since Godfather.
 
Just saw this today in a packed theatre... in NYC. Dunno how fatmericans will respond to the pacing and convoluted plot. I thought it was great.
 
Wilbury said:
I'd just like to wish that American audiences loved this as much as I did. Phenomenal movie, but I've got a feeling it isn't going to get any awards love. Looking back, I can't remember the last time my favourite movie from a given year won the Oscar... Probably not since Godfather.
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My wife and I both loved it, so that's two Americans there. She's a member of the Online Film Critics Society, which already held their year-end awards. If those are any indication, I would wager...

TTSS won't win best picture, and may not even be nominated. That's probably going to Tree of Life or The Artist (which is also a great movie).

Oldman will be nominated for best actor, but will have a hard time beating out Fassbender (Shame) and Dujardin (The Artist)

It may also be nominated for best editing, direction, and cinematography -- but only has a real shot at editing. Tree of Life and Melancholia have the inside track on the other two.

Its best chance may be best adapted screenplay, where its main competition will be The Descendants, Moneyball, and Drive. (The best screenplay I read this year was Win Win, but that's not adapted.)
 
This movie was so fantastic. So incredibly heartbreaking. Can't wait to watch it again. Picking up the TV show too. Can't believe there isn't a particular collection of Le Carre novels put together for this film release, I've only read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and now I want all of his quality releases. The acting all over is just without flaw. Impeccable shit. Gaaaaaaaaaaaah
 
I REALLY want to see this. Almost picked up the book the other day. Hope it makes its way to Buffalo. Expendable, do you see that happening?
 
SpeedingUptoStop said:
This movie was so fantastic. So incredibly heartbreaking. Can't wait to watch it again. Picking up the TV show too. Can't believe there isn't a particular collection of Le Carre novels put together for this film release, I've only read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and now I want all of his quality releases. The acting all over is just without flaw. Impeccable shit. Gaaaaaaaaaaaah
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Check out the 1960s movie of Spy WHo Came In From The Cold, it's great also.

That Richard Burton, he could act.

Happy to see more people getting to see this!
 
Film was so incredibly shot too. I wanna say something like 90% of the scenes weren't even filmed in the same room as the actors - everything was shot just outside, the viewer becomes apart of the story practically, listening in on conversations they're not supposed to hear.
 
SpeedingUptoStop said:
Film was so incredibly shot too. I wanna say something like 90% of the scenes weren't even filmed in the same room as the actors - everything was shot just outside, the viewer becomes apart of the story practically, listening in on conversations they're not supposed to hear.
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When you rewatch it (like I plan to) take in stuff outside of the particular scene you're watching. There are clues to what others are hiding in different scenes, like when the prime minister, his secretary and Alleline are in the locker room, you can see a naked man to left. Subtle clues to remind you what others are hiding pops up more than just that but I can't recall the particular scenes. That's how much attention to detail Alfredson has. The backshot of that guy doesn't need to be in frame but he's there for a reason.
 
Saw this on christmas day and really liked it. The rest of my family couldn't really follow the plot and felt differently, which I suspect will be the case for a lot of american audiences. Oldman is great, as always. I loved how the story
wrapped up with straight up detective sleuth work. No guns or splosions
. It was probably my favorite movie that I've seen in a theater in a long time.
 
The first 40 minutes definitely don't hand anything to you, but seriously, after tat a majority of the movie is filling in the blanks and back tracking. How anybody was completely lost through all that just wasn't paying attention. This movie doesn't give it up to you but it also isn't withholding shit absentmindedly either. It is all incredibly calculated.

Reading atleast one Le Carre novel prior too prepped me for the narrative structure too, but still, wasn't that hard to follow. The only thing the movie asks is that you have enough confidence in it to stay with it til it doubles back on its tracks for you to show a different angle.
 
i started reading the book last night and plan on seeing it next week

im curious if its the case of the book being really fleshed out compared to the movie or if the book is challenging as well

the book doesnt seem too long though
 
I'm not sure how you could miss any details in the movie. It wasn't complex. It just didn't repeat everything over and over.

I give it 8/10. It was well made and told a good story but wasn't anything special. Thought the hair in the movie was distracting.
 
Seeing the movie again on Sunday since I was nearly sleepy before seeing it tonight

I do have one thing to ask:
Doesn't the poster essentially give away who the true mole is? I'm pretty sure the chess piece for Tailor is the same one on the poster with the crosshairs
 
Cross-post from the "Movies You've Seen Recently" topic:

Just came back from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and I don't really know what to think of the movie. The movie was extremely well-shot and the acting was seriously top-notch, but the coldness of the entire movie was too patience-draining. You don't really get to care about any character (except for maybe Tom Hardy's), and the plodding pacing didn't do the movie any favours, especially in the beginning. It gets better as you get more familiarized with the characters and when the puzzle pieces are arranged slowly, but the end of the movie fizzles out completely when they could've made it into a more captivating reveal.

Still, it's an alright movie and I can see why people like it, but I need some time to digest it. Right now, I didn't find it too appealing.

---

Anyway, I was dead tired when watching this movie, so I hope someone can fill in a part which I found lacking (major spoiler):

Aside from the reveal that he found the West repugnant, was there any other reason why the mole spilled information to Karla? I found his reasoning utterly lacking, therefore making the end unsatisfactory.

Also, are we to assume that Mark Strong's character and Colin Firth's character are lovers? Or are they simply BFF's? What does the book say on this matter?
 
BeeDog said:
---

Anyway, I was dead tired when watching this movie, so I hope someone can fill in a part which I found lacking (major spoiler):

Aside from the reveal that he found the West repugnant, was there any other reason why the mole spilled information to Karla? I found his reasoning utterly lacking, therefore making the end unsatisfactory.

Also, are we to assume that Mark Strong's character and Colin Firth's character are lovers? Or are they simply BFF's? What does the book say on this matter?
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It's been a long long time since I read the book, but:

I think they were schoolboy lovers. A thing that comes up in some of LeCarre's work is the idea of the adolescents/young adults experimenting with homosexuality, and I think it's implied that they were former lovers in college. I believe Bill is stated to be bisexual in the book. Modern sensibility would suggest to me that they were both gay, but repressed/closeted.

As far as Bill's motives, I think that they are supposed to be vapid. Again in LeCarre's books, there's a lot of looking at people's motives, and how some people have religion and others are just fighting for their side. Smiley is the latter, he has no particular ideology and (as a stand-in for LeCarre) he's often repulsed by the methods he uses in the name of some supposed moral superiority that doesn't exist. Bill is the counterpoint view, of somebody bought into the ideology of one side, which LeCarre/Smiley finds a shallow view.

It's worth pointing out that Bill (and the whole story) is inspired by a real mole, Kim Philby, who had pretty much the same "I find the West repugnant" reasoning. Philby was only rooted out about a decade before Tinker Tailor was written and it's pretty clearly inspired by the people LeCarre worked with in MI6. I think there's some author wish fulfillment in having Bill get killed at the end-- in reality, Philby defected to the Soviet Union and he was hailed as a hero there.

That said, I think they could have sold the viewpoint a lot more clearly. And while I really like the movie, it *is* a bit cold in a way that makes it less immediately satisfying-- but I think it stays with you longer.



lazybones18 said:
Seeing the movie again on Sunday since I was nearly sleepy before seeing it tonight

I do have one thing to ask:
Doesn't the poster essentially give away who the true mole is? I'm pretty sure the chess piece for Tailor is the same one on the poster with the crosshairs
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Hmmm, so people paying attention to the details of the poster can figure it out. Not unlike the Game of Thrones posters, I guess.
 
ReturnOfTheRAT: "Firth looks so out of place it's hilarious."

Me: Based on that, I have a guess as to which character he will play (and likely be perfect for).

BTW, I pegged him as Bill from the casting, as Bill was described as the good-looking playboy and who turned out to be the vapid one as well. What might have seemed like miscasting was actually perfect.
 
I know the film doesn't exactly push this to the forefront, but given how everybody is involved in some sort of deep relationship in the film I'm kind of surprised the film leaves people cold. Although
pretty much all of them except for Smiley & his wife (I think?) end in complete and utter heartbreak
, I found them all so well developed that by the end, everybody really deserved a huge bear hug, particularly Cumberbatch's character.


Another thing about the boredom issue I find is, I think it may have something to do with the stakes of the film, or rather, the invisible antagonist. I love these kinds of movies when they're done right and this one for sure was. I get really into them, as you're supposed to question everything and look for the flaws & faults and question the motives and put the pieces together. It reminds me of Contagion, which I watched the other night and I was surprised when I went online to find people complaining it was boring too - there is no visible antagonist, it is literally in the air, in every single room. Trust no one until the case is closed and you can make sense of everything again. Both films worked on that level and I guess that speaks to a very specific kind of viewer, as I imagine some people (not saying people here, but more of the average American moviegoer) watch films just to wait around until the main synopsis question is answered, whereas films like these keep pushing questions at you and trying to involve you as a character in the narrative almost 4th wall-y.
 
I saw this movie months ago during its initial release in the UK. A stunning piece of work, visually elegant and magnificently acted. The first hour or so is very difficult to penetrate.

After going home it stuck with me in a way that most movies don't, but I nonetheless wanted more pieces to the puzzle. So I found the DVD boxset of the 1970's adaptation starring Alec Guiness and watched it in two days completely engrossed. Its not as elegantly filmed as the movie, but it does expand massively on character motivations, especially those of the traitor. An incredible cast too, my jaw dropped when I realised that Karla is
Captain Picard
. The the movie and miniseries compliment each other very well, and both Gary Oldman and Alec Guiness have a wonderfully nuanced approach to the character.

I then went and found the sequel, Smiley's People, which is also outstanding and provides a lot of closure on some of the dynamics of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

(Completely unrelated - having been completely blown away by Ian Richardson's performance as Bill Hayden in the BBC adaptation, I found his seminal work "House of Cards", which is the best drama I have ever, ever seen. It may be the greatest thing ever made by the BBC, and its thanks to TTSS that started the chain reaction that led me to discovering it).
 
To do list:

Rent and watch the Alec Guinness version of this and Smiley's People. I've never seen it.

Rent and watch House of Cards.

Re-read TTSS.
 
House of Cards will be remade into an original series in the United States. The show is set to star Kevin Spacey as well as be produced by David Fincher and Spacey's Trigger Street Productions. It marks Netflix's entry into original programming and is slated to air in late 2012. The series is set to be filmed in Baltimore, Maryland

Its a pretty good miniseries, the original.
 
Your Excellency said:
I think it's better to enjoy this movie if you know of the basic storyline from the beginning, and know which character is which and what's what. Would also help if you know spy terminology. If you go in completely cold you'll be disappointed.
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Anyone have any ideas on the best way for me to do this without being exposed to any spoilers? Because the last thing I want to do is go into this movie completely cold.
 
I liked it, but MAN you have to be so patient to really enjoy this. It's like in slow motion the whole time. I actually enjoyed thinking about the movie afterwards more than watching it.

It's very clever, doesn't pander, DEMANDS you listen to every word spoken, and never gives in to some easy hollywood release, like "hey it's been half an hour, here's an explosion or gunfight to keep you interested".
 
Triple Oceans said:
Anyone have any ideas on the best way for me to do this without being exposed to any spoilers? Because the last thing I want to do is go into this movie completely cold.
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I said this earlier but, check out The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. It features Smiley in a small role and takes place well before this movie with otherwise unrelated characters. It's a short read (220 pages or so) that'll give you time to get a handle of terminology and how Le Carre stories are told (very much dropping you into the story and then filling in the blanks later) as well as his themes (heartbreak, trust, betrayal, loyalty). Granted, I haven't read his others yet so I dunno if they're very different, but given how similar TTSS was, I imagine that's just his usual style. Having read that alone probably prepared me way more to know what to expect and pay attention to when going into this.
 
Saw it today. Fucking fantastic. Certainly kicks the shit out of Dragon Tattoo as far as conspiratorial (murder) mysteries go.

Unlike a lot of people though, I didn't find it cold, uninviting, confusing, slow, or any of that. I thought plenty of the characters (especially Ricky and Peter) were easy to engage with; thought the movie actually moved really quickly and was never uninteresting; and the only thing that tripped me up as far as following the story goes was that it took me a while to realize just who/what they were referring to with the name "Karla." :lol

Anyway. Loved it. Way exceeded my expectations.
 
Triple Oceans said:
Anyone have any ideas on the best way for me to do this without being exposed to any spoilers? Because the last thing I want to do is go into this movie completely cold.
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I went in completely and utterly cold this week and fucking loved it. Yes it's a bit dense and elided but I'm pretty sure I followed 85-90% of it on first viewing. Most of it comes together at the very end so just be patient.

I'm sure a second viewing would cross all the T's for me but there's no reason to avoid it until you've been briefed or something.
 
When virtually every single person who saw this movie complains about the pacing, doesn't that mean there's something inherently wrong with it?

Why should anyone struggle to like a movie? I don't know if Tomas Alfredson is to blame but whoever intentionally chose this pacing is a real fucking asshole. This movie just bleeds elitism throughout the first hour. Made me really, truly hate it.

When you compare this to We Need to Talk About Kevin, you have to wonder how any film critic can rate TTSS above Kevin. One is made for the audience, the other is not.
 
ChefRamsay said:
When virtually every single person who saw this movie complains about the pacing, doesn't that mean there's something inherently wrong with it?

Why should anyone struggle to like a movie? I don't know if Tomas Alfredson is to blame but whoever intentionally chose this pacing is a real fucking asshole. This movie just bleeds elitism throughout the first hour. Made me really, truly hate it.

When you compare this to We Need to Talk About Kevin, you have to wonder how any film critic can rate TTSS above Kevin. One is made for the audience, the other is not.
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Dude... first off it's based off a book, a book whose plot is just the same: a man going around talking to great lengths with people about things that have happened in the past. It's about dense, dense backstory and layers upon layers of ideology, bureaucracy, relationships, friendships. This is what it is. It's not an action story. It tells things through this material - it's not a choice for Alfredson to make to "speed it up" - it's just not possible with the story that's told. The TV series is even slower - the same plot spread over 7 hours of television. All brilliant, of course.

And some internet users does not = "virtually every single person". There's a reason the movie is generally very well liked indeed.
 
ChefRamsay said:
When virtually every single person who saw this movie complains about the pacing, doesn't that mean there's something inherently wrong with it?

Why should anyone struggle to like a movie? I don't know if Tomas Alfredson is to blame but whoever intentionally chose this pacing is a real fucking asshole. This movie just bleeds elitism throughout the first hour. Made me really, truly hate it.

When you compare this to We Need to Talk About Kevin, you have to wonder how any film critic can rate TTSS above Kevin. One is made for the audience, the other is not.
Click to expand...

First, I didn't have a problem with the pacing. But I can think of a lot of films I love that I didn't love the pacing of. It's hardly the single measure of a movie.

Also, I think there's way too much emphasis on films being immediately experienced and forgotten moments later. This is a slow burner-- it will stay with you much longer than your average film. Pacing just isn't as important in that case.
 
totally forgot I had a mini TTSS poster in one of my drawers.....and the chess piece w/the crosshairs is used as the A for Tailor. So yeah, the poster does "give away" the mole
 
Great movie. I found the pacing to be perfect. I don't understand the complaints of the story being hard to follow because of how it bounces through the time line. There were visual queues and when there wasn't someone was explaining what happened.
 
Saw it tonight, was awesome, and in my opinion, the pacing was perfect for the material.

Oldman was god-tier and really really should be up for an Oscar for this, He stepped into Sir Alecs shoes and made a classic character his own without overdoing it, for me I thought his performance was impeccable.

And thanks for the House of Cards reminders, I really need to get that and see it again before the remake.
 
Blader5489 said:
Saw it today. Fucking fantastic. Certainly kicks the shit out of Dragon Tattoo as far as conspiratorial (murder) mysteries go.
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Yes, it really does. Thinking back now (saw it in September when it released in the UK) it fully delivered as a murder mystery/crime thriller. LWDT just didn't for me.
 
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