John Le Carré
Le Carré’s depiction of intelligence operators or “spies” is that they are people who are for the most part not physically gifted and deal with their work as if they were sitting at a giant chess board. They like puzzles and believe if they stare at something long enough it will begin to make sense. Le Carre focuses in on flaws in his characters. They are people who have practiced and perfected telling lies about themselves and others from the earliest stages of their lives. Their only loyalty is to anyone who they believe loves them. Patriotism is not the important thing. The movie “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” remains true to what I think about a Le Carré novel and people in general. There are very few if any superheros in this world and when one does turn up they are remarkably ordinary looking creatures.
It’s in the eyes, that’s were all action is. Pay attention to the eyes and the small gestures, that is were the spectacular happens in this movie. Brilliantly!
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – due out on DVD April, 2012