Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (November 18 2011)

[Dai [sherpa]]

This is likely to be my movie of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/v/VkUdXnOBOf0


A tale of high intrigue and spycraft, set at the height of the cold war. Based on the excellent novel by John le Carré. I predict Oscar nominations for Oldman and Firth.

Cast
Tom Hardy ... Ricki Tarr
Gary Oldman ... George Smiley
Ciarán Hinds ... Roy Bland
John Hurt ... Control
Benedict Cumberbatch ... Peter Guillam
Toby Jones ... Percy Alleline
Colin Firth ... Bill Haydon
Mark Strong ... Jim Prideaux

Anyone who has read the book will appreciate the unutterable brilliance of this casting:

Colin Firth is widely loved as the good guy. The final reel showing the depth of Bill Haydon's betrayal should be powerful stuff because of that, plus he is an excellent actor. Also, the trailer shows Mark Strong (as Prideaux) weeping while aiming down a rifle, for some reason I find that very affecting. For me, Prideaux's journey is the most human part of the story - from top scalphunter to broken, wounded shell put out to pasture. Also I like the implication that Haydon's death remains ambiguous to us as well as to the Circus, unlike in the 1979 TV version.

Summary
George Smiley is an MI6 spy in forced retirement, following a botched operation in which Prideaux was wounded in an encounter with Czech forces. Smiley is approached by the Cabinet's security dude with information that the operation was not botched, but was a set up linked to a mole in MI6's top echelons.

Smiley uses every tradecraft tool in his arsenal, as well as his considerable perspicacity, to start spying on the spies to identify the mole. Hilarity ensues (not really).

The Source
If you haven't read the book - you should. Even though it is not full of exploding helicopters, it is a very gripping piece of work. The author was in fact an MI6 operator (plenty of info on his wiki page) and based the book on the real life scandal surrounding Kim Philby.

For audiobook fans, you may want to know that the 'default' audiobook version on Amazon is not in fact the book, it's a three-hour BBC dramatization originally made as a radio play. The full audiobook is available here (Amazon).



There are three of them... and Alleline.

[Swissie]

Wow, I didn't even know this was in the works. I really enjoyed the BBC series with Alec Guiness. This cast certainly looks strong enough to pull it off.

[Dai [sherpa]]

Interesting to see the total lack of interest here, other than me and one other excellent individual with superlative taste.

New trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/v/-TvdqRvCwGg

[Flu]

Silence doesn't indicate lack of interest. Silence indicates lack of anything useful to say. Definitely interested, but that doesn't make me interesting.

[Dai [sherpa]]

But I want all of Geezerdom to join me in a froth of anticipation!

;-)

[Edit - alt poster]

[Maizrim {council}]

Never heard of this until now... looks very cool! I may want to read the book, but need to catch up on GRRM first. (I'm a big Anglophile, trying to see Attack the Block and the new Inbetweeners movie as well)

[PhazeZero]

Had not heard of this either. Gary Oldman is a freaking chameleon...should be great in this role.

[Dai [sherpa]]

Pretty cool interview with le Carré and Oldman.

Smiley remains naïve in dealing with his affections for his philandering spouse, and retains all the melancholic traits laid down by his creator. In the figure of Oldman, however, the filmmakers have someone more menacing than the plumpish chap depicted by the writer.

“Le Carré describes Smiley as a rather short guy, unattractive, overweight,” says the actor. “I think one of the reviews for the book, I think it was the Spectator, said that 'Smiley is a great spy but an inadequate man’. And all of that is there for you as an actor. You don’t have to dig very deep for it.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Oldman’s Smiley and the earlier incarnations, Le Carré suggests, is that “with Oldman you share the pain more. I think you share the danger of life, the danger of being who Smiley is. That is much more acute.” He smiles. “Gary’s is a much tougher George Smiley than we’ve seen before.”

[Flu]

Gary Oldman is a freaking chameleon...

Definitely. He and Christian Bale are awesome, because I don't think they ever use the same voice/accent twice.

[Dai [sherpa]]

There's a new clip around - click here to see it. When it shows up on YouTube I'll update.

I get sweaty palms just from this 2-minute segment.