Movie Review: Tinker, Soldier, Spy

Going into this movie, most of what I heard was that I wouldn’t like it. This prepared me to focus on following what was going on, leading me to enjoy the movie more than I otherwise would have. Because Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is so complicated, it pushes many viewers away. But the complicated paths of the plot and the characters in this movie simulate trying to find and follow a real spy, which takes a kind of focus many viewers aren’t prepared for while watching a movie. However, being a movie about spies, it’s possible that some viewers will be interested enough to invest themselves in the plot enough to figure at least a little bit out. This is somewhat like what spies do in real life, since they have to infiltrate a foreign government, for example, and then figure out important information and where that connects. Beyond this, it’s difficult to say exactly what it’s like being a spy, since these organizations tend to be secretive. Thus, this movie is accurate in the way the story is told. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy tells a nigh incomprehensible, winding tale of spies in Europe; the details follow what we’re often told about spies in the media, but the way the story is told, as well as the style of cinematography, allow the viewer to experience what international espionage may really be like.

Before getting any further, it’s worth noting that this movie is based off a book by John Le Carre. Apparently it follows the book closely, but the book is long, with too many details to fit into a two-hour movie. Thus, there are things left out, including some of the cohesion. But it is still somehow possible to follow at least most of the plot – however difficult it may be. But this difficulty is symbolic of how it is for Smiley to track down the mole. We can’t rely on Smiley to do all the work for us; we have to figure some of it out ourselves. The problem is that many viewers aren’t ready to think like spies themselves, even if they’re educated adults. It takes a specific mindset to enjoy this movie, and many people don’t like to think while watching movies. But those who do take the effort to think like spies will not only comprehend the movie, but also learn some of what it may be like in Smiley’s shoes. Because it’s true. In real life, it’s more difficult to find spies than in one scene in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, where it’s easy to see a Russian spy through the window. But instead of this literal interpretation, the movie demonstrates through story structure how difficult espionage really is. Smiley makes it look easy. In real life, many spies go unnoticed, while other times ordinary people are falsely accused. …show more content…
The only actual objection they have to this movie is that the scriptwriters brought in anti-Americanism that is apparently part of Le Carre’s other books. Being an American organization, the CIA isn’t happy with this negative light. They noted some other small differences, such as a less ethically ambiguous ending than that of the book. But any change from the book is an act of freedom of expression, and whether the CIA likes it or not, it’s protected under the Constitution. Thus, the CIA can only criticize from a