Customer Reviews

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Blu-Ray/DVD Combo) / La taupe (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Bilingual)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

It's Gary Oldman...An incredible actor who moves this movie into greatness!!The dvd was in perfect condition and fun movie to watch!

No James Bond glamour or special effects here. This is a movie with a feel of reality. Gritty, well acted and well directed. Oldman deserves the praise he has received but he is not the only actor turning in a top notch performance. Could be "Masterpiece Theatre".

Great calibre of actors and Gary Oldman was superb as Smiley. The intrigue and cold war setting kept me guessing who were the good guys who were the traitors.

This is one of the best book adaptations, period pieces, and spy films I have ever seen. Gary Oldman's genius, quiet central performance is captivating, and the supporting actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy (among others) are as fantastic. This is a film that shows exactly how pacing is important. It's a talking, thinking film, not an action film. So if you have an aversion to great dramatic performances, please return to your Michael Bay movies and let the rest of us enjoy the absolute gems like this that only come once every few years.

I admit this movie isn't going to be for everyone, but it was by far my favourite film last year. Gary Oldman and the stellar cast all give amazing performances. The pacing is pitch perfect and if you are unfamiliar with the story, the film will keep you guessing until the very end.

Though I generally do not like Cold-War movies, this one was certainly an exception.
Not having read the book, I was curious to know why this is considered a classic - and now I know.

Beyond a fascinating and intricate storyline, the acting really brought the viewer directly into the era.
This is not a film for the viewer seeking the high-explosives adrenaline rush ... rather it is for the viewer seeking a very intelligent, complex storyline that keeps you guessing through to the end (unless you read the book - of course).

Great movie. Exceptional Story. Superb acting by the entire cast.

Gary Oldman never ceases to amaze me - this is a great little movie with little gimmicks. I loved it. Takes you back to the times when movies were movies before all these CGI heavy blockbusters. Loved Benedict Cumberbatch - saw him for the first time in something other than Sherlock and I thought he was excellent. Highly recommend this movie.

This is a brilliant movie. Don't expect giant explosions and spy gadgets. This is a complex and more realistic tale of espionage. Genius acting by all. Gary Oldman's subtle and contained performance as Smiley is phenomenal.

This version of Le Carre's wonderful story misses the whole context of English social class distinctions among co-workers in the civil service. Which was wonderfully delineated in the Alec Guinness version of the story. The Smiley character was married into the English upper echelon of society and would never be caught dead in Oldman's attire. Oldman's Smiley is well portrayed but lacks essential Englishness. I reccommend the earlier version. For those of you who have read the book get the Guinness version instead. The character portrayals in it are much truer to the novel. E. G.(The Ricky Tarr character is after all an Australian, Peter Guillaume is a rough and ready head of the scalphunter department not some effete milk-toast, Toby Esterhase is a post-war DP trying to climb the English social ladder with a penchant for overdressing himself in an attempt to impress his superiors, Bill Hayden is a suave chameleon able to become ladies man or lout whatever any given situation demands, Alleline is a large snobbish pretentious seeker of a knighthood with a penchant for looking down his nose at his underlings.)On the whole this remake is so horribly miscast it led me to believe that a group of strange refugees bearing little or no resemblance to Englishmen were dropped onto the London streets and unbeknownst to the local inhabitants absolute foreigners were running their secret service. The actor playing Bland should have been cast as Alleline. In my opinion only Hurt was cast properly in his role. I would advise you to wait until you see this sucker in the Walmart 5$ bins before purchasing You can get the whole Guinness mini-series from Amazon for approximately the same price as this dud is going for as I type this. You will enjoy Guiness's Smiley so much you will want to get his follow-up series "Smiley's People" (Part 3 of the trilogy) which is just as creditable as his "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"( Part 1 of the trilogy). Le Carre's "The Honourable Schoolboy" (Part 2 of the trilogy)remains uncommitted to film.

I entirely agree with Peter Choate's comments. This is a complete failure to bring to the screen a new version of a great novel. Why a writer of John LeCarre's stature would allow himself to be associated with it is a puzzlement (his name appears in the credits as a co-producer). My advice is to pay the extra money and get the original BBC mini-series starring Alec Guiness.