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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a tense and effective thriller about secret agents and double agents playing a deadly game of cat and mouse in the 1970s. The jargon gets pretty thick at times, and there is more of a language barrier than one might think, but the movie works very well, spearheaded by a sly performance by Gary Oldman. The new Blu-ray release of the movie includes great picture and sound, along with a commentary and some other extras. The DVD edition is included in the packaging to boot. Fans of the spy thriller genre will likely have a good time here, as will fans of the cast. The Blu-ray is Recommended, with the caveat that fans of the book or the Alec Guiness miniseries may want to rent this first before purchasing.
Studio: Universal/Focus Features, Studio Canal
Year: 2011
Length: 2 hrs 8 mins
Genre: Period Thriller/Spy vs. Spy
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
BD Resolution and Codec: 1080p, AVC @ 30 mbps
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (@ an average 3.6 mbps, up to 4.3 mbps), Spanish DTS 5.1, French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: R (Violence, Some Sexuality/Nudity, Language)
Release Date: March 20, 2012
Starring: Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Stephen Graham, Tom Hardy, Ciaran Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, Mark Strong
Based on the Novel by: John le Carré
Screenplay by: Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
Film Rating: 3 ½/5
“You don’t just trade these people like they’re baseball cards! It’s not a …game!”
“Oh yes it is. It’s exactly what it is. And it’s no kids’ game either. This is a whole other game.
And it’s serious and it’s dangerous. And it’s not one you want to lose.”
From the 2001 Film Spy Game
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a great example of just how international espionage works as a very serious and dangerous game between countries and individuals. Adapted from the novel by John le Carré, the movie distills quite a lot of material down to a two hour length that never feels particularly rushed. Without spoiling the rich details, the plot follows an internal investigation in the British intelligence service (here called “The Circus”) to find a double agent. Leading the investigation is George Smiley (Gary Oldman), an senior agent recently forced out of the service. The movie is loaded with great performances, from John Hurt and Colin Firth to a nearly unrecognizable Tom Hardy. But the heart of the movie really is the work of Gary Oldman, who lulls the other characters and the audience into a false sense of comfortable ease before people realize the machinery ticking behind the eyes. It’s quite an entertaining movie, as well as a thought-provoking one, but it can be hard to understand. (At multiple points during the film, I was compelled to rewind a scene or turn the subtitles on to confirm what was happening. From my discussions with several other people who have seen the film, my issue was not an isolated one.)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has of course been adapted from the John le Carré book before, with the famous Alec Guiness miniseries that ran about 5 hours long. To make the new movie, the plot and characters have been considerably streamlined. It is for this reason that I must qualify my recommendation of the movie. For while I enjoy this new film, I realize that many viewers have fond memories both of the book and of Alec Guiness’ performance in the prior adaptation. And for people looking for a more in-depth treatment of the book, it’s probably best that they indeed turn to the earlier miniseries. But for those looking without preconceptions for an entertaining thriller will be rewarded here, both with the performances and with the masterful direction of Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In). Make no mistake – this is a movie that requires the viewer to do a lot of thinking: not only to solve the central mystery but to piece together several of the onscreen relationships that are only partially examined. I find that to be a rewarding journey, and thus am happy to recommend the Blu-ray for purchase with the above qualification.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has been released simultaneously on Blu-ray and standard definition just this past week. The Blu-ray has everything from the standard DVD, and adds high definition picture and sound, along with a battery of interviews with the cast and creative staff. The Blu-ray also includes the DVD copy of the movie on a second disc. Both editions come with a scene-specific audio commentary by director Tomas Alfredson and actor Gary Oldman, some deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. (For the Blu-ray, the John le Carré interview is presented in high definition video). Instructions for downloading a digital copy and getting an Ultraviolet copy are also included in the package.
VIDEO QUALITY 4 ½/5
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is presented in a 1080p AVC 2.35:1 transfer that shows off a satisfying amount of detail within its intentionally drab and gritty look. There is a fair amount of darkness in this movie, and the transfer does well with it – both revealing details as necessary and cloaking others when appropriate. The multiple instances of greenscreen and CGI work in the movie are invisible, even in the high definition image.
AUDIO QUALITY 4 ½/5
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in English, as well as standard DTS mixes in Spanish and French. The levels vary wildly between scenes, although not in an overly manipulative way. Alberto Iglesias’ jazzy score (properly nominated for an Academy Award) shines in this mix. And while there are issues in the movie of understanding some of the dialogue, this is not due to the sound mix – the dialogue comes through loud and clear. The issue there just has to do with the dialogue itself being unclear to the untrained ear.
SPECIAL FEATURES 3 ½/5
The Blu-Ray presentation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy comes with a fair amount of extra features. The DVD edition is included in the packaging. Both Blu-ray and DVD include a scene-specific commentary, a few deleted scenes and a “First Look” featurette. The Blu-ray also includes short SD interviews with several cast members and the director, along with an HD interview with author John le Carré.
My Scenes – The usual Blu-ray bookmarking feature is available here, allowing the viewer to set their own bookmarks throughout the film.
BD-Live - This Blu-ray includes access to Universal’s BD-Live online site, allowing for the viewing of trailers online.
pocket BLU – This Blu-ray includes the usual pocket BLU functionality, enabling viewers with appropriate laptop, iPad or smart phone integration to remotely control their Blu-ray player and access some of the bonus content from the separate device. Also, a digital copy is available for download via the pocket BLU application.
Commentary with Director Tomas Alfredson, and Actor Gary Oldman (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD AND BLU-RAY) – This scene-specific commentary finds Tomas Alfredson and Gary Oldman watching the movie together and making various observations about the story and the production.
Deleted Scenes (6:08 Total, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – This is a collection of several deleted moments, including the other side of a phone call seen in the movie and one long moment of George Smiley cooking breakfast in his kitchen. The scenes are presented in a single chapter with no menu to present any on an individual basis.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: First Look (13:00, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – This brief making-of featurette covers the basics of the production, including the usual soundbites from the cast and the director. Some additional flavors are added from the inclusion of comments by author John le Carré, who is not only pleased with the movie but also appears in a brief cameo at a party.
Interviews (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – A series of interviews with the cast and creative staff round out the package.
Gary Oldman (7:40, 480p, Anamorphic) – Gary Oldman’s answers to a few questions are presented here in this brief assembly.
Colin Firth (6:33, 480p, Anamorphic) – Colin Firth weighs in some of the same issues regarding adapting the book into the movie
Tom Hardy (3:27, 480p, Anamorphic) – Tom Hardy answers a few questions here, including mentioning that some of his work had to be reshot due to how bad his long-haired wig looked when the filmmakers began to examine his scenes more closely.
Tomas Alfredson & Peter Straughan (7:01, 480p, Anamorphic) – Alfredson and one of the two screenwriters answer some questions about the development of the movie
John le Carre (31:48, 1080p) – This is a longer interview piece with the author, covering multiple areas including his own real-life espionage work and how he came up with the material for the title book. This interview is the most rewarding part of the special features on the disc, in that he concisely covers a lot of ground, particularly for fans of the book.
DVD Copy – A second disc is included in the package, holding the standard DVD of the theatrical cut of the movie. It contains the movie presented in standard definition in an anamorphic 2.35:1 picture with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound in English, Spanish and French (448 kbps). The commentary is included, as is the “First Look” featurette” and the deleted scenes.
Digital and Ultraviolet Copies – Instructions are included in the packaging for downloading a digital copy of the movie to your laptop or portable device, as well as for obtaining an Ultraviolet streaming copy to be placed up in the cloud. The instructions include a deadline of August 27, 2012 for activation. I note again that the pocket BLU online menu also includes an option for downloading the digital copy.
Subtitles are available for the film and the special features, in English, Spanish and French. A full chapter menu is available for the film.
IN THE END...
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a solid espionage thriller with great performances that expects a lot from its audience. In some cases, the audience must do some of the work to piece together the onscreen clues. In other cases, the audience may be hard-pressed to decipher the jargon spoken by all these intelligence professionals. And there’s the inevitable comparison to the miniseries with Alec Guiness, which may be an issue for viewers familiar with the earlier adaptation. But for fans and audience members interested in a fresh look at the material and a great performance by Gary Oldman in the role of George Smiley, there are many rewards to be found here. The Blu-ray release comes with great picture and sound and some satisfying extra material. The release is Recommended for Purchase, or for an initial rental if you’re more wary of the material.
Kevin Koster
March 24, 2012.
Equipment now in use in this Home Theater:
Panasonic 65” VT30 Plasma 3D HDTV – set at “THX” picture mode
Denon AVR-3311Cl Receiver
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray Player
PS3 Player (used for calculation of bitrates for picture and sound)
5 Mirage Speakers (Front Left/Center/Right, Surround Back Left/Right)
2 Sony Speakers (Surround Left/Right – middle of room)
Martin Logan Dynamo 700 Subwoofer