An actor’s showcase built around a spy story, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” was one of the most expertly crafted films of 2011. It is also a fantastic follow up to “Let the Right One In” for director Tomas Alfredson. The story set in the Cold War spy world is taken from a famous novel of the same name from famed British espionage author John le Carré. The novel was been adapted before in 1979 in the form of a seven-part mini-series for British television. The Oscar winning actor Alec Guinness was the star of that first adaptation. In the 2011 theatrical update, another talented Englishman Gary Oldman plays Smiley. And although Oldman has probably never delivered anything less than top-notch work, I have to say that I can’t imagine that he’s ever given a performance better than the one he delivers in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” A thinking person’s spy movie, “Tinker” should expand in 2012 to be seen by American audiences whose British counterparts have already embraced it.
Next: Number 1 – THE ARTIST
