The 2011 BAFTA-winning adaptation of John Le Carré’s classic 1974 novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is already 10 years old and to celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary it’s receiving a 4K UHD release for the first time. This new release includes a whole host of bonus features, many are new to this re-release along with specially commissioned artwork by Matt Taylor which looks stunning.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has an almighty cast with all the best British actors appearing including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the main players. Gary Oldman plays the role of George Smiley, a recently retired MI6 agent who was previously portrayed by Alec Guinness in the 1979 BBC TV series of the same name.
Whilst Smiley is trying to adjust to his new life outside of the of the secret service, a disgraced agent resurfaces with news of a mole right at the top of MI6 and so of course George Smiley is drawn back into the dark world of espionage. Smiley narrows down his search to just four suspects of which one of his trusted former colleagues he believes has betrayed the country, but he must get to the bottom of which one is the traitor.
The cast are all excellent, especially Gary Oldman in the lead role and the film has strong direction from Let the Right One In’s Tomas Alfredson however it never feels truly gripping or tense. The film demands your attention for the entire runtime because it is a complex plot and Alfredson jumps between characters, and he makes you ask yourself whether certain scenes are flashbacks or not. But it never fully earns this level of attention.
Whilst there is a strong sense of atmosphere to it with the murky streets of cold war Britain and it captures the idea of cynicism and paranoia from the period quite well, it just never feels truly gripping in the way that many other spy films do. Whilst George Smiley is certainly no James Bond, nor is he supposed to be, there’s just something lacking from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and stopping it from being the nail-biting thriller that it should be.
With this being the first time the film has been available on 4K and in UHD, there are plenty of special features, with lots of new and exciting material for Le Carré fans and for fans of the film to dig into.
This new release sees an interesting discussion between one of the nation’s favourite film critics Mark Kermode and Tomas Alfredson as they chat about the film. Alfredson talks of how he hasn’t actually seen the film again over the past 10 years but nonetheless he still remembers it fondly and how the film is about the loneliness that secrets create among people. Critics Jason Solomons and Matthew Sweet sing their praises and talk fondly about the film too. Or you could choose to watch the film with commentary from the cast, director and writer if none of that takes your fancy.
The bonus features include:
- (New) Conversation between Mark Kermode and Tomas Alfredson
- (New) Film Critic Jason Solomons discusses Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- (New) Film Critic Matthew Sweet discusses Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- (New) Le Carré Biographer Adam Sisman shares his thoughts on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Commentary with Director Tomas Alfredson and Actor Gary Oldman
- Interviews with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Director Tomas Alfredson and Writer Peter Straughan
- Interview with John le Carré
- Deleted Scenes
- UK premiere Featurette
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Sky Movies Special
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is available to own on UHD December 20th and Digital December 6th.
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson
STARS: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy
RUNTIME: 127 minutes
COUNTRY: U.K.
Film Rating: 
