A slow-burning spy thriller set within the British intelligence service during the height of the Cold War, this complex drama is highlighted by Gary Oldman’s acutely understated performance. As a high level agent brought out of retirement to ferret out a mole within the MI5, he exudes intensity and intellect with unerring precision. The story itself is exceptionally complicated and yet highly engaging. I felt that casting and corresponding screen time made it clear whom the mole would turn out to be…but you may disagree.
"A classy story of duplicity and paranoia from an uncompromisingly gifted filmmaker."
— Adam Woodward
"It's a treat to be back in Le Carré's world, where amid the tangle of plots and counterplots there are moments of lucidity when you sit up and say, "I've got it now!""
— David Edelstein
George Smiley, the aging master spy of the Cold War and once heir apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears.
BAFTA
2 wins, 7 nominations
The authentic spy movie, it honors the genre thriller as you stay from begining until the end figuring out what is going on. Fantastic.