Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

R

2012

2h 7m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

229 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In the 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.

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Critics Consensus

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

01/10/2024

Stepping into the shoes of Alec Guinness, Gary Oldman, in a performance of restrained inscrutability, captures perfectly the character of John le Carré’s seasoned spy George Smiley...

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

12/03/2021

4/5

Sublime.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/31/2018

So beautifully executed and so visually absorbing and so atmospherically hypnotic that I wonder this: would it have been awfully greedy to have hoped to have wholly understood it, too?

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/01/2023

3/4

Le Carré enthusiasts will be left wanting another hour or so of filmic flesh on this skin-and-bones telling.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/26/2022

4/5

While it’s deliberate and sometimes dry, O’Connor and Straughan’s script is tight, structured, and clearly intends to make the audience work right alongside of Smiley.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

07/14/2022

4.5/5

One of the greatest spy thrillers of the century.

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Jalvzz ..

@jalvzz Jan 26

Definitely need to watch it again

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Contra C

@contra-costa Jan 4

A beautiful film, a beautiful realization of the novel, the cast is the absolute best of the best, everyone is brilliant

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Raymond S

Oct 23

I have watched this movie 3 times now, with several years inbetween - I find it flawless. Can't wait to see it again, in 5-6 years time.

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Ian F.

@thismeansguerra Aug 8

I score this movie really high however it has an age well in my memory. I remember being long and boring but I remember thinking wow there’s really no action in this. This is just people talking and thinking there’s something cool about that anyway this would probably be something good for me to rewatch to see how I feel about it now.

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Gareth v

@geewah Jul 22

A slow burn espionage thriller that benefits greatly from Gary Oldman's performance as the iconic George Smiley. While not as flashy as some other spy movies, it more than makes up for it with it's intellectual script.

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James B.

@JKBOPB Jul 20

An outstanding performance by Gary Oldman!

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Tomas Alfredson

Director

Gary Oldman

George Smiley

Kathy Burke

Connie Sachs

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo
Screenwriter: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: StudioCanal, Paradis Films, Working Title Films
Rating: R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 6, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.1M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital

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