Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

One of Britain's master spies is working for the enemy. Can George Smiley beat him at his deadly game?

War & Politics Drama Mystery
English     7.6     1979     United Kingdom

Overview

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.

Reviews

Peter McGinn wrote:
I tried to watch this drama series a year or so ago and didn’t get far. It isn’t bad but it has a slow pace, which I am usually fine with, but I am not into spy stories. I gave it a second try recently and had no trouble finishing it this time. There is some action and a small amount of drama, but mostly it is conversation and a slow-burning tension running through it. I confess I occasionally wasn’t sure who was doing what off screen, but i never completely lost the thread. Alec Guinness is very good. He gives what seems like a restrained performance, playing a man who fights emotions that rise up inside him so that he can dispassionately do the work required of him with a clear heard and clear eye. A couple of the subplots, such as the former spy teaching at a private school, seem unnecessary on the face of it, though in the example I used there is a big payoff because of it. I can’t imagine watching the series again., but I still recommend it if you like spy stories without many explosions and violence, especially if you are a fan of John LeCarre.

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