"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

George Smiley, British Spy, is ousted from the Secret Service along with his Department Head, Control. Just before their so called 'retirement', Control heard rumblings of a mole within the British Secret Service. The rumours continue and so Smiley returns to the corridors of his former workplace to try and uncover the mole.

At long last, the film I have been eagerly wanting to see. It is seldom these days that I build up my expectations for a movie, as all too often one ends up bitterly disappointed. But it is hard to do when one sees the trailer for a film like this.

The recreation of the 1973 setting is excellent, the dark and grainy look of the film adds to the tension. And as anyone will know it has the very best of British acting talent in its cast. With the likes of John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch, it is well worth the price of admission for the cast alone. Leading them all is Gary Oldman as George Smiley, it a beautifully understated performance, so quiet and subtle. He will surely need to make some space on the mantlepiece for his plethora of Awards, for believe me, they will be forthcoming.

One does have to pay attention as the timeline skips about alot, and with this spy thriller there is a very labyrinthine plot, and despite the subject matter, there are no car chases, no big explosions, no major fight scenes, just alot of men talking, the odd lady too. Yes it is a very dialogue driven film, so any fans of either Bond or Bourne should stay well clear.
But for this Cinema viewer, just listening to the delivery of a first class script, based on John Le Carre's classic words, and watching incredibly talented actors at the top of their game...well, it does not get much better than this.

A crime to miss it

10 out of 10 - Updated. Cannot believe I initally only scored it 9. It is the perfect film