Logging

Film: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Going in, I figured it had a chance to be the greatest movie of all time, so perhaps my expectations were a bit high. In retrospect, the story does not lend itself to a 2 hour film. There is simply too much story, too much time, and too many characters to elegantly weave into a coherent movie. But goddamn, what a pleasure to look at. The style - from cinematography to production design to costume to the faces of the actors is absolutely amazing. Imagine if they went the way Assayas did the film Carlos, and just went all out...it really could have been something. Fans of the mini series and/or the book, know the story works and there is no doubt, Alfredson captures the mood and tone (perhaps the greatest challenge for a director) - of the book. The story simply couldn't fit in 2 hours and so the story is impenetrable to those who don't know it already, and even for those who do, totally lacking in rhythm.

I don't think there is an answer. Economics demand the movie be 2 hours (even 3 would not have been enough), but the story demands more. I suspect, however, this film will age well, and will be worthy of film school study for the composition of shots and cinematography. I could see a class where this is shown right next to The Conformist, another spy film dealing with similar themes, albeit with a much easier to understand plot.