basics…A complex spy thriller set in the grey seventies, with a who’s who cast of British acting talent, headed up by Gary Oldman’s George Smiley – tasked with rooting out the mole in The Circus.
brilliant…
I can easily see why this thriller wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. There are no explosions or car chases or anything you might term ‘thrilling’… other than the top notch plot that is. Moodily directed by the Swede behind Let The Right One In, Tinker’s visual style is intoxicating, the camera hovers on seemingly insignificant details and affords Oldman the time to react to things in a subtle way. The spy plot takes in many characters and several twists and turns as each of the 4 suspects are put under varying degrees of scrutiny. Toby Jones does a good turn in twitchy and snivelling while Colin Firth is charming. Kathy Burke makes a welcome return to acting, although what is going on with her massive neck I’ve no idea. She’s one of the few female characters in a film about men betraying men, perhaps a rather old fashioned concept, but one that works really well. Oldman is perfectly world-weary and his approach to the matter in hand is methodical and believable, while Benedict Cumberbatch ironically makes a great Watson-like sidekick. It’s good to see a film that is so resolutely unshowy and so undeniably British getting good box office, especially as this has no King’s Speech style triumph over adversity feel-good factor. Some of it is downright bleak, particularly what happens to Tom Hardy and his love interest, but Tinker is always gripping, never boring.but…
Ciarán Hinds’ suspect is not as well developed as his co-stars, leaving him not a great deal to do. An extra few minutes of motivation for him would have marked him out as a more credible suspect alongside Firth, Jones and the other fellow.
briefly…
A cerebral thriller that held me rapt throughout as a result of labyrinthine plotting and masterful character work.
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