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Comment by andrewstuart | Hacker News Reader

It's not very highly rated but I loved the 2011 movie of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" starring Gary Oldman and a cast of other well known actors.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tinker_tailor_soldier_spy

After I saw it I said to friends that its "the best movie I've seen in which pretty much nothing happens". That's how good the movie was - no action, nothing stated explicitly, lots left for the viewer to figure out, and still awesome. Definitely not for everyone but I loved it. Gary Oldman of course being one of the greatest actors of all time.

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84% is pretty high. I remember it being very well received, deservedly so.

If you liked that you should try the 1979 BBC series of it [1], Alec Guiness also being one of the greatest actors of all time.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy_(T...

BBC made adaptation of Smiley's People[1] too, the third part of the Karla Trilogy.

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083480/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

I found this to be much better than the remake. The seventies grittiness suited the story. Available on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyNzc9cbF4EWeXnVOQhXG6_wG...

The movie captures the feeling of being a rockstar detective. The way everyone is dressed and the cold logic games they play. The movie raises an interesting question: what happens when the spy controls the environment? They could make anything appear any such way. The strength of your logic then becomes your undoing because an adversary can use your own logic against you. This is probably why rule-breaking is not only the norm for intelligence agencies, but practically mandatory.

One of my favorite films! Agreed that it's not for everyone, but if you're on its wavelength it's really something special. Just incredibly well made with terrific performances. That ending sequence with La Mer...

I remember seeing it in theaters with my father, who is a massive le Carré fan. He enjoyed it (though obviously he had many issues in comparison with the novel), and I (15 at the time) remember being very bored. Still, I could appreciate that is had beautiful mood and subtle, well-written dialogue. It felt a much closer approximation of actual espionage than anything else I've seen.

Yep, totally wrong movie for a 15 year old. There's no action at all.

I saw the 1979 BBC version when I was young and really enjoyed it, even given the lack of action. I think it was the first 'spy' thriller I'd seen which wasn't some sort of James Bond equivalent and I loved it for that. I still have the notes that I took while trying to figure out what was going on (we had to wait 6 weeks for the story to unfold back in the day)

Then you should watch the OG - 1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Alec Guinness and Ian Richardson

The first two minutes -- two minutes -- is a masterclass in "show don't tell". All the suspects are introduced, one after the other, their characters clear as day, with not a line of dialogue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq61jstTApk

Genuinely stunning.

Indeed and thanks for link! It's been a while since I watched it.

I've been enjoying Slow Horses, which in my head-canon is a sequel, with "Smiley" (the character played by Gary Oldman, natch) put out to irascible pasture at Slough House. It's not truly on the same level, but it's good fun.

Herron's "Slow Horses" series, a total of eight books, is wonderful bedtime reading.

I still dream of seeing this version of Smiley's People one day.

I enjoy this version, but can’t help feeling that Gary Oldman is miscast and the wardrobe wrong.

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