Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy

Yesterday I got to (finally) see the movie Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy.  I've been wanting to see this movie since last Nov; although I gather that it didn't actually get released in full (in the U.S.) until this month.  

It was a very good, very British film.  It's a Cold War drama, very unapologeticlly so, and was quite fun to go back to a film so into that time period.  There is no hints really to our current time; it was quite refreshing to see everything in the bi-lateral power system that was present during the Cold War.  

It's taken from the book by the same name, written by John le Carré, who wrote many Cold War spy books, focusing on the MI-5 and 6.  His style is to take the same genre as the James Bond type stories, but bring in more complexities.  As in, his dramas are more psychological than black and white spy thrillers.

I personally love this.  On the downside, you can leave this movie not feeling like everything is 'right.'  But, I haven't seen a movie in a while that was quite so realistic- and so 'just so.'  As in- this is how it was and is and that's that.  It's not perfect, but it's reality.  And it's how we all live.  It's taking a very complex situation and bringing in the personalities- you can see how the personal decisions, perceptions, paranoia, weaknesses and loves affect great histories.  I love that complexity.

I recommend the movie highly, although you may want to know going in that it's not an action film like MI:4 and it's British and so can move at a rather timed pace.  (I haven't read the book, but I'm going to guess the flashbacks may have been added to lively things up a bit... hmmm, I now need to read the book and see for myself)  You may also want to refresh yourself with Cold War history a bit, although I suppose you just need to know about the Soviet bloc.

On a more superficial side, I LOOOOVE all of the actors in this film (in this film, but anyways).  I also love how Benedict Cumberbatch's hair is blonde.  He looks soooo different! (I personally like it more)  I also love all of the film locations and the camera angles were superb.  More than anything, I just love it being the cold war drama.  There was such a style to this type of drama and the world was so... interesting. :P  But, I think that the film reflected very well how much little things really impacted every day life in Europe during this time...

Film rating: A+