Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) leads an extraordinary all-star cast in this masterful adaptation of John le Carré’s bestselling novel that redefined the spy thriller. At the height of the Cold War, a precarious operation goes deadly wrong, and the head of British Intelligence wonders if a double agent is leaking vital secrets. Brought out of retirement to expose the potential mole, master spy George Smiley (Oldman in an Oscar-nominated performance) is the only one who can be trusted to expose one of their own. Or can he? As the emotional and physical tolls mount on the high-ranking suspects, Smiley will be forced into the ultimate international spy game where everyone’s motives are in question. Director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Dunkirk) craft a visually stunning and deeply resonant tale that’s packed with powerful performances by Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road), John Hurt (Alien), Toby Jones (The Mist), Mark Strong (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) and Ciarán Hinds (Munich).
For thoughts on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy makes its 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a stunning 2160p Dolby Vision transfer provided by StudioCanal from the Original 4K Digital Source Master newly reviewed and approved by cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema that allows the film to look better than it ever has. When compared to the old Universal Blu-Ray, this disc offers strong improvements in all respects. This new release of the film has a lovely amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific text that was unable to be deciphered before. Environmental elements are also given much more depth which makes for a much richer experience. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when you look at deliberate lighting conditions that are so key to establishing the mood of this story.
The UHD disc contains very deep, stable colors throughout which stay more natural to the environment rather than amping up the vividness. The Dolby Vision presentation allows the film to appear more refined than ever, keeping the drab yellow and brown color palette intact rather than boosting unnatural primaries. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are extremely deep and allow the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and detail in darker environments. This is especially important for a story taking place covertly in shadows. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you an impeccable amount of facial detail. This transfer is a treat for fans of the film. This disc marks another great improvement from the people at Kino Classics.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 lossless track that seems to be recycled from the previous Blu-Ray that still packs a punch. This disc perfectly brings this twisted story to life with a depth and clarity of sound that is staggering. As the characters move throughout the world, the sounds of the environment flow out of your side and rear speakers. Each sound is precisely placed with perfect spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with sound effects and ambient noise that really makes you feel like you are in the thick of the plot. Kinetic sequences are sparse, but the film sports a dynamic sound design that comes through flawlessly. The implementation of environmental effects such as idle chatter come through in a natural way. There is a decent amount of activity in the low-end, but mostly when it comes to adding texture rather than stealing focus. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting muddied by the score or any sound effects. The tremendous score utilized in the film comes through with a pleasing fidelity. Kino Classics knocked it out of the park with this track, so those with a good surround sound setup should have a blast with this one.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Tomas Alfredson and Star Gary Oldman provide a very gentle, informative commentary in which they provide insights into the process of adapting the John Le Carre material, the photographic style of the film, the location shooting, the performances, the sound design, recurring themes and more. While the track may seem a bit low-key at first, you really get some valuable information if you stick with it.
- First Look – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A 13-minute featurette is provided here featuring interviews with various cast members, director Tomas Alfredson, producer Robyn Slovo, production designer Maria Djurkovic, and writer John Le Carre. The piece serves as something of a primer for the material along with spoiler-free character breakdowns, thematic conjecture and analysis, and production details such as directorial style, cinematography and more.
- Cast/Crew Interviews
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- Gary Oldman: An eight-minute interview with Oldman in which he discusses his impression of the source material, why he wanted to make the film, the character he plays, this film as its own entity, his co-stars, his favorite moments on set and more.
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- Colin Firth: A seven-minute interview with Firth in which he discusses the work of John Le Carre, the brilliant script, playing Bill Haydon, working with the director and more.
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- Tom Hardy: A four-minute interview with Hardy in which he discusses playing Ricki Tarr, meeting with Tomas Alfredson, working with Gary Oldman, memorable moments on set and more.
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- Thomas Alfredson and screenwriter Peter Straughan: A seven-minute interview with the director and screenwriter in which they discuss the genre of spy fiction, the original novel and TV series, the inspiration for the film, working with the ensemble, favorite moments from the story and more.
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- John le Carré: A 32 minute archival interview with the author in which he discusses his original impulse to write Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, his career in the intelligence community, how he feels about having his material adapted, the character of George Smiley, the evolution of espionage and more.
- Deleted Scenes: Seven minutes of unused material is provided here including a scene of walking against an unfinished green screen, George making himself a meal, a lengthy scene between Roy and Peter, and more.
- Trailer: The two-minute trailer for the film is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Out Of Sight, Eastern Promises, and In Bruges.
Final Thoughts
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a tremendous feat of adaptation, gamely taking John le Carré’s source material and translating it into a breathless silver screen potboiler. This is not a film you can just passively watch and expect it to reward you with all of its secrets. The material is extremely dense and complex, but those who engage with it will find it to be immensely satisfying. This is the type of adult thriller we do not get as much these days, which is a real shame considering how much longer the experience sustains itself as you reflect back upon and work through all the knots of the narrative. This coupled with the truly A+ ensemble makes this one of the most underrated films of the last decade. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation along with all of the legacy special features. If you are a fan of the spy genre, there is no reason not to have this one in your collection. Highly Recommended
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
