Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one of the finest movies to grace the big screen this year - and that is why it has made it to number seven in our countdown of the best films of 2011.
The movie marked the return to the director’s chair for Tomas Alfredson, who brought us Let The Right One In and he assembled one of the most impressive ensemble casts of the year.
Set in the bleak days of the Cold War, the movie follows espionage veteran George Smiley who is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best political thrillers that I have had the privilege to watch - it hooks you from the word and it really a very absorbing watch.
The movie’s great strength, apart from a strong script, is it’s fabulous cast with the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Tom Hardy on board this movie could never fail.
Oldman is simply superb, and the Oscar talk surrounding his performance it totally justified, in what is a really understated and controlled performance from the actor.
I would love to see Oldman pick up an Oscar nomination for his central performance but as he has missed out at the Golden Globes he sadly may not get a much deserved nod.
Some may find the slow pacing rather irritating but I actually thought that it was a real strength of the film as it just cranked up the tension.
And there is tension and menace around every corner, it really is a riveting watch, you, along with Smiley, has no idea who he can and cannot trust.
It is a movie that treats the audience with intelligence this is not a watered down or simplified story - instead it’s complicated with plenty of twists and turns - which has become a bit of a rarity.
Alfredson has made a quick bleak and dark movie that has the Cold War threat hanging all over it from start to finish.
This is a stunning piece of filmmaking that keeps you gripped from beginning until the very end throw in some tour de force performances and you have a movie that we will be talking about for a long time.
This has been one of the finest British movies to have graced the big screen in quite a while and it deserves all of the praise that has been coming its way.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
by Helen Earnshaw
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