In the UK, Tomas Alfredson’s 2011 remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of those movies that is on television fairly frequently. Every now and again, I will check to see what Film4 have lined up and more than a few times I have seen the film in their line-up. Because it is on TV regularly, the movie has gathered a huge following with lots of people watching it over the last ten years, since its release. Now, to celebrate its ten year anniversary, Studiocanal are re-releasing the espionage movie with a brand new 4K transfer. Is the movie worth picking up?
Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Solder Spy is a remake of a 1979 movie of the same name and takes place during the bleak days of the Cold War. The movie follows an espionage veteran, George Smiley (played by Gary Oldman – Mank, Darkest Hour), who is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet mole within his former colleagues at the heart of MI6.
Let’s start out with the obvious. The cast for this film is filled with some of Hollywood’s best actors and they all deliver brilliant performances. Gary Oldman perfectly plays the veteran who is trying to get to the bottom of this mystery that always makes you say out loud to yourself , “who is this mole inside MI6?” Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Toby Jones are all great in the film too. They all give great supporting performances and have a strong screen presence whenever they appear in the movie.
The script is great, too. For a film that is very dialogue-driven, everything that is stated by the characters feels real and like what they would say. They are written to all have a distinguished personality so the way they interact with one another is fascinating to watch on-screen.
However, my main problem with the movie is the pacing. At over two hours long, the movie drags, especially in the second half. The movie starts as a gripping espionage story with an intriguing mystery but it doesn’t maintain that ‘hook’ it begins with. The pacing slows down a lot after the one hour mark and it did start to lose me a bit unfortunately.
But, this is probably what you all are wondering. How is the brand new 4k transfer? Well, I can definitely say it is brilliant! Compared to the standard HD version that is on TV, the 4K UHD version is far better. For a film that is quite dark and bleak, filled with colours to match that moody atmosphere, the film looks stunning and the colours pop right out of the television. Even the wrinkles on Gary Oldman’s face look great!
While I am a bit mixed on the film overall, Studiocanal’s brand new 4K restoration of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is fantastic! It certainly is far superior to the Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) versions that have been available for the last ten years. It is crisp, every frame looks-life and filled with dazzling imagery. If you want to check this film out, this new transfer is a must buy and certainly the best out of the versions on the market.
Available to own on UHD from December 20th and on Digital from December 6th.
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