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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Play trailer 2:00 Poster for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy R,  2012,  2h 7m,  Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Watchlist 84% 228 Reviews Tomatometer 65% 50,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 228 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
In the 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide The Times (UK) Jan 10, 2024
Stepping into the shoes of Alec Guinness, Gary Oldman, in a performance of restrained inscrutability, captures perfectly the character of John le Carré’s seasoned spy George Smiley... Go to Full Review
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Dec 3, 2021
4/5
Sublime. Go to Full Review
Deborah Ross The Spectator Aug 31, 2018
So beautifully executed and so visually absorbing and so atmospherically hypnotic that I wonder this: would it have been awfully greedy to have hoped to have wholly understood it, too? Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Mar 1, 2023
3/4
Le Carré enthusiasts will be left wanting another hour or so of filmic flesh on this skin-and-bones telling. Go to Full Review
Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Aug 26, 2022
4/5
While it’s deliberate and sometimes dry, O’Connor and Straughan’s script is tight, structured, and clearly intends to make the audience work right alongside of Smiley. Go to Full Review
James Croot The Post NZ Jul 14, 2022
4.5/5
One of the greatest spy thrillers of the century. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Leia S Feb 22, 2019 Exceptional movie with great performances by every cast member. The only problem is it is extremely difficult to follow the complicated plot and character relationships in one showing.Typical La Carre. The first time I watched it I gave up half way through. I finally decided to give it another chance years later and was hooked, but had to watch it four times before I really understood it. I've watched it another 5 times and believe it or not each time I discover something I missed. However it's well worth the effort. I think that this issue is the only reason for the low ratng. See more
Hagrid G Feb 19, 2019 An interesting movie with a complex plot and a thrilling chase to find out the mole in the department. However it is quite long and drones one at times and is not the best paranoia/espionage film out there to see. See more
Anakin S Feb 15, 2019 Oh my! I donï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)t think Iï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)m stupid, and I enjoy a complex plot, but gosh this is one dull and complex film. In fact itï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)s so complex with such sparse dialogue it a bit like watching someone do a very tedious cryptic crossword. Not recommended See more
Hagrid S Jan 27, 2019 Somewhere in the simple premise of finding out who the British 'mole' is, I became lost in a web of Soviet, American, and English political jargon to not really understand what was going on half the time. As always Wikipedia helped make sense of it all afterwards but this was way too serious for me. It's like James Bond, without the action, humour and pinch of spoof in it. So in essence it wasn't like James Bond at all, which is probably where it all went wrong for me. See more
Hagrid W Jan 22, 2019 An All Star cast doing All Star work!
Poe W Sep 23, 2018 I challenge you to name three British leading men who do not appear in this film. It's a veritable thespian cornucopia. No so for the ladies, but who's counting. Tomas Alfredson is known for his delightful vampire film "Let The Right One In". In Tinker he gives us a taste of grimy cold war England with a side of Budapest intrigue. Delicious. They've apparently been trying to make a sequel for 7 years. Here's hoping the cold war is still relevant when/if they finally do. Actually maybe that's a bad idea.Tomas Alfredson See more
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.
Director
Tomas Alfredson
Producer
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo
Screenwriter
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
StudioCanal, Paradis Films, Working Title Films
Rating
R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 6, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.1M
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital
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