Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

John le Carré’s labyrinthine, weighty tome returns as Tomas Alfredson’s intricate yet lean drama – producing one of the films of the year thus far. At the height of the Cold War, former spy-master George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is brought out of forced retirement to hunt for a Russian mole in the upper-echelons of MI6. With all four top boys suspected, Smiley must enlist the help of mid-level operative Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) to be his eyes and ears on the inside and flush-out the turncoat.

Marked by faultless set and costume design, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy seduces from the outset with a dazzling opening sequence beautifully establishing the mood, aesthetic and narrative. Adroitly juggling multiple timelines and plot-strands with not a hint of bagginess, Alfredson makes the audience wonderfully complicit in all the unfolding sneakiness by filming the action from nooks and crannies in unhurried, voyeuristic tracking shots. Old-school surveillance is wonderfully refreshing in an age of instant, endless information; one superbly taught scene following the difficulty and peril in Guillam discovering whether a telegram was received emphasises the skill, patience and balls these men possess. A classier, more thoughtful and elegantly paced thriller is difficult to conceive, with Oldman’s understated and multi-layered performance bewitching. [Chris Fyvie]