Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a smart story in an espionage thriller based on the John le Carre 1974 novel following the search for a mole in the British Secret Service.
Film making 21/25
Video 20/25
Audio 20/25
Bonus Features 14/25
Total 75/100
Gary Oldman stars as George Smiley in the espionage thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Blu-ray and DVD editions. After a fateful mission ends in disaster for the head of The Circus, a division of the British Secret Service, George Smiley is forced into retirement along with that division head.
Control is the division head of the Circus and sends an agent to Hungary to gather information on a possible mole in the Circus but the agent is killed which ends Control’s career. Control is forced into retirement before he can prove who of the top officials of the Circus are responsible for being the mole and leaking information to Russia.
Control forces George Smiley to retire with him as part of a ploy to find out if Smiley can be trusted, Control figures that if Smiley is the mole he will not accept the situation. Years go by and new information comes to light but Control has passed away so George is on his own when asked by the British government to reopen the investigation.
George had no knowledge of the mole and has to find quick answers to the situation without letting the top officials of the division in on the investigation. George trusts a few agents but needs to find out who the mole is using his past experience and the few people he can trust.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a smart film and one that you do have to pay attention to while watching to keep up with what is going on. Aside from that it is a great movie and very well crafted as it has all the plot twists and drama of a spy thriller but the simplicity of a great film.
I had the sneaking suspicion that I would not understand much of the plot because of the British side of the spy game and the lack of knowledge to the various references and terms. I even had no idea there was the Circus in the British Secret Service, the only reference I had previously from the British spy arena was MI5 and MI6.
Unlike other films that show or spread hints about the mole from the beginning we have no clue until the end who is the bad guy and insight into his mindset. I did have no problems watching the film and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a great thriller that is worth watching over again to find even more to enjoy with the plot and great acting.
The actors never give away their roles of either loyal citizen or mole and every one gives a great performance throughout the film. The movie does make a great repeat film and is well worth the cost of purchase making the real choice between the DVD or the Blu-ray edition.
The Blu-ray edition of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has several audio commentary and interviews with main cast along with deleted scenes and a making of feature. The DVD edition of the film has all the bonus content that the Blu-ray edition except for the interviews with the cast members.
The bonus content is decent but I feel the making of feature is the only really worthwhile feature of the film that should be watched before the film itself. The other bonus features are those worthwhile one time looks but the film and the First Look feature are worth a repeat visit.
Blu-ray video is very good verging on excellent but not perfect in all aspects while the audio is perfect as far as surround sound and an immersive experience. The Blu-ray edition is the way to go as far as quality entertainment in both video and audio while the DVD is good but standard for DVD.
The DVD version does not have as good of video or audio but it is a great experience as well and only lacks the interviews for the bonus content. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a great movie and well worth a purchase but if you have the Blu-ray player the Blu-ray edition is the way to go.
I highly recommend Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for a smart and entertaining spy thriller for those who enjoy espionage films that are edgy.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Website
