Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

[LA Ute]

I'm dying to see this one. It's out only in the art houses in L.A. (I assume that's for Oscar-qualifying purposes.). General release is set for Jan. 6. Has anyone seen it?

Trailers here. This is one movie that is probably best understood if you've read the book first.

[MarkGrace]

Saw it today. Zzzzzzz....

This movie needed to be 30-40 minutes shorter. The end of the movie was great, but it didn't have the payoff for me that it should have because the other 3/4 of the movie had completely lulled me to sleep and I stopped paying attention. If the whole movie had the pacing of the last 20-30 minutes, it would have been great.

[LA Ute]

Saw it today. Zzzzzzz....

This movie needed to be 30-40 minutes shorter. The end of the movie was great, but it didn't have the payoff for me that it should have because the other 3/4 of the movie had completely lulled me to sleep and I stopped paying attention. If the whole movie had the pacing of the last 20-30 minutes, it would have been great.

Rats. I was afraid of that.

[SeattleUte]

Saw it today. Zzzzzzz....

This movie needed to be 30-40 minutes shorter. The end of the movie was great, but it didn't have the payoff for me that it should have because the other 3/4 of the movie had completely lulled me to sleep and I stopped paying attention. If the whole movie had the pacing of the last 20-30 minutes, it would have been great.

lol you could say the same thing about the novel.

[SeattleUte]

Rats. I was afraid of that.

The NY Times loves it. It's about hyper privileged English boys who betrayed their country and spied for the Soviet Union. For me, it's an inherantly interesting subject. Maybe not for some.

[Maximus]

Anyone know when it comes to Utah

[Green Lantern]

Anyone know when it comes to Utah

January 6th.

[LA Ute]

lol you could say the same thing about the novel.

My hunch is that those who have read and enjoyed the novel will feel the same way about the movie. Doesn't bode well for the box office. Still, the studio must think it has something, or the movie wouldn't have been released this way.

[MarkGrace]

Rats. I was afraid of that.

Well, don't let me dissuade you, you may love it. In fact, I think this might be a situation where you're better off going into it having read the book. The thing is just a labyrinth, and the vast bulk of that is set up through dialogue. And for me, because I'm such a simpleton, I tend to become a little less engaged when the stretches of pure dialogue are just so long. Thus, since you already have a good idea of what is going on, it may be easier for you to follow through those stretches.

The opening scene is really tense and great. And like I said, the last act is really great as well. I just think the movie could have benefitted from a shorter bridge between those sequences. The movie is about two hours and ten minutes long, and those portions constitute maybe 30-40 minutes of the overall run time. Thus, you're left with an hour and forty minutes where it feels like almost is nothing is happening. I can roll with and enjoy dialogue and appreciate the set up that goes into it, but it was just too much of the movie for me.

But the film has considerable other merits as well. It feels very well crafted, it has a very cool style to its ambiance, and the acting is as top-notch as you would expect from Oldham, Firth, Hardy, et al. But akin to maybe something like The Winter's Bone, I feel like I just need a bit more from a strictly entertainment perspective to keep me connected despite those otherwise great elements.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I hadn't read this particular LeCarre novel, but very much aware of his style, and thanks to Mark Grace's caveats, I went in prepared for the very long, complex exposition. I went with Mrs. PAC and my sister and they both loved it. My sis enjoys "mood" movies and heavy atmospherics, and my wife loves complex mysteries and was totally into it. It's very dense, with loads of subtleties, and overall is a very well-crafted movie. We had a lengthy discussion after the movie, which was fun, as so many movies are instantly forgettable.

[Green Lantern]

I hadn't read this particular LeCarre novel, but very much aware of his style, and thanks to Mark Grace's caveats, I went in prepared for the very long, complex exposition. I went with Mrs. PAC and my sister and they both loved it. My sis enjoys "mood" movies and heavy atmospherics, and my wife loves complex mysteries and was totally into it. It's very dense, with loads of subtleties, and overall is a very well-crafted movie. We had a lengthy discussion after the movie, which was fun, as so many movies are instantly forgettable.

We saw it this weekend and our experience was very similar. I loved the complexity of it, and I have to disagree with MG's desire for a shorter running time; I felt that every hint, every clue, every scene was vital to the overall story, which doesn't often happen. I was so invested that when we got to that climactic scene, I was on the edge of my seat.

On the other hand, one of my friends accompanied us and he fell asleep, so your mileage may vary.

[HauteCoug]

I liked it. I think. I'm still not completely sure how I felt about it. We really wanted to find more underneath it, but you get what you get.

Outside of that, it was extremely well done. Completely atmospheric - in the very best way.

[venkman]

I'll watch anything with Gary Oldman. There's no better actor.