The Movie
When a covert mission to Budapest goes bad, the fallout back at British Intelligence is harsh, with two senior men forced to resign. The plan was to bring over a Hungarian general who knows the name of the Russian mole deep within the British agency, a tightly-run organization otherwise known as "The Circus." But the new men running the show seem dismissive of the idea of a traitor in their midst: Could they be involved in a cover-up? Meanwhile, a Russian double agent has been providing The Circus with classified information almost too good to be true, so how bad could things be? And how can this largesse be parlayed into an ongoing relationship with their American allies?
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a title taken from the code names for the prime suspects within the agency, is set during The Cold War, when East/West paranoia was perpetually high. And so George Smiley (Gary Oldman, who received his first-ever Oscar nomination for his work here), one of the men who took the fall for Budapest, is asked to flush out the traitor from the outside. His performance is a fascinating embodiment of the famed British reserve, as both his personal and professional crises are managed with a stiff upper lip.
We learn the inner workings of the spy game, at least circa 1973, as Smiley's secret investigation brings us small steps closer to the truth. Who in the inner circle has betrayed his nation's trust? Or are the Russians just stirring up destructive suspicions?
Even in our darkest hour, surely we can put our faith in Geoff Morrison's review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
The Picture
The 2.35:1 movie was shot on 35mm film, and the Blu-ray has its share of noticeable film grain and video noise. Blacks are natural but lack the expected nuance, and some modest edge enhancement is in evidence. Every once in a while a shot will impress with its detail, but overall this one is a bit soft for my taste.
The Sound
More drama than thriller, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy eschews flashy setpieces of any kind and instead employs more subtly rendered sonic environments, albeit with occasional flourishes such as a jet flyover or an owl flapping around a classroom. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack spreads Alberto Iglesias' Oscar-nominated music around the various speakers, and many scenes exhibit a general fullness across the home theater, with a handful of discrete cues. Wholly adequate for the story at hand.
The Extras
Director Tomas Alfredson joins star Gary Oldman for the audio commentary, and later Alfredson teams with co-screenwriter Peter Straughan for a shared on-camera interview. The interviewees also include Gary Oldman, co-stars Colin Firth and Tom Hardy, organized by various topics and running 25 minutes total, in SD. Author John le Carré is given his own 32-minute segment, and his alone is in HD.
The six minutes of unchaptered deleted scenes are also presented in high definition, along with the 13-minute "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: First Look," a slick overview produced to promote the film. The disc also supports the pocket BLU app for portable bonus content and enhanced control via select handheld devices, as well as BD-Live connectivity with Universal's active news Ticker.
Disc Two is a DVD of the movie, supplemented with the deleted scenes, First Look and commentary. A unique printed code is also provided to unlock a Digital Copy on our choice of iTunes, Windows Media, VUDU or Amazon Instant Video, in addition to an UltraViolet version in The Cloud, accessible via either Universal or Flixster.
Final Thoughts
An intelligent spy opus that takes on a different tone upon second viewing, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy might not be a reference-quality Blu-ray but it is a deft adaptation of John le Carré's classic book.
Product Details
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