 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Review Date: December 9, 2011
- R
- Genre: Thriller
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Excellent spy film mixes suspense and shocking moments.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (adapted from a classic John le Carre spy novel) is an intelligent, adult movie. Violence isn't constant but includes guns and shooting, dead bodies, blood and gore, and violence against women (a mother is killed while nursing her baby, and another woman's head is beaten against a window). Language is also infrequent but includes a few uses of "f--k." There's also some nudity and onscreen sex (toplessness, a woman shown from behind while atop a man, etc.), plus some innuendo. Since the story is set in the early 1970s, characters smoke cigarettes freely and drink casually. For grown-ups and mature teens, this is a terrific film, arguably one of the best spy movies ever made.
What's the story?
During the Cold War, following a blown operation in Hungary in which a British Intelligence agent is shot, former agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is pulled out of retirement. His task is to find a mole planted deep within the ranks of MI6. He faces tough opposition from the men in charge and can trust nobody aside from his young assistant, Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch). Can Smiley follow the subsequent elaborate and complex trail without alerting the mole?
Is it any good?
Many spy movies tend to rely mostly on dialogue and exotic locations to tell their complex stories. But based on the classic novel by John le Carre -- which was also made into a 1979 miniseries starring Alec Guinness -- TINKER TAILER SOLDIER SPY gets by on subtlety. Swedish director Tomas Alfredson, making his English language debut, maintains an intricate balance And Oldman, walking in Guinness' formidable shoes, gives a truly great, reserved performance.
Unlike many spy movies, there's very little shooting or chasing here. The color scheme is muted and industrial; even a hot cup of tea doesn't quite cut through the gloom. In many scenes, characters just seem to be sitting in rooms and talking. It sounds dull, but it's actually one of the best spy movies ever made, adding glorious layers and tones to each moment and building on moods and silences so that the exciting moments mean all that much more. Indeed, this quiet movie generates more suspense than a hundred chases and shoot-outs.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Tinker Tailor Solder Spy's violent moments. How shocking are the shootings and gore? Do they have greater impact because they're used sparingly?
Does the movie seem especially violent in regard to women? What message does that send?
Is the movie suspenseful? How does it achieve suspense with such a slow pace and so few action scenes? Does a good spy movie need a lot of action?
Is George Smiley a good role model? What are his main attributes? What are his faults?
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AGE
Bit of a slog
Gary Oldman has little dialogue, just a knowing look. Give him credit for not overacting. I wanted more character development. Very well acted, but long and a little dull. CSM review on sex, violence, language is all accurate but the violence is pretty mild honestly.
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AGE
Safe for teenagers, but rather dull.
I was really excited to see this movie, but it highly disappointed me. I definitely think kids ages 16 and up can see it, the violence is few and far between and the sexual scenes aren't the worst out there (one at a distance through a set of binoculars). Oh, and there's a subplot line about adultery, but it's not graphic.
The main fact that I think makes it not great for kids is that it is one of the most confusing and hard-to-follow movies I've ever seen, and I'm a seasoned veteran of confusing movies. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time purchasing a ticket to see it with your kids.
That being said, if your teenager asks to see it with friends, I wouldn't fret; it's a pretty safe spy movie. Just keep in mind that they will probably come home really confused and annoyed.
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AGE
Consider This Before Going
This movie is only enjoyable when you know the story of the books and the original tv series. Remember this is a film that is cramming a 6ish hour story into 2 hours, so not a lot of things are explained and many topics are expected to be known by the viewers. The reason for all of the high critic reviews are mainly because these are critics that know the story of George Smiley. There was a review by Anthony Lane in the New Yorker and he did not like the film for many of the same reasons, and I don't blame him. It is a short review that I recommend reading. This is not a Bond or Bourne film, and TTSS is truer to the life of a spy then those action packed spy films. One should be cautious when deciding if it is a movie for their children, but it really depends on the parent and their decision. Just make sure that you know a little bit about the story before diving into a movie and coming out with much less than you expected, which is what happened to me.
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AGE
A Movie where you Have To Pay Attention
I find the reviews above on this film to be exagerational at best. Whatever violence is there, and whatever sexual innuendo or visual is present is absolutely necessary to convey the reason that a political betrayal later happens. People that spy are human, and humans sin, and spies even more so. Like one of the seminal figures in the film poignantly says at one point, "I don't want to turn out like you lot (people)", "I want out after this".
George Smilley has done dirty things in his life as a spy, but fortunately he has kept his moral compass. Thank God, you say after the film credits roll, that there are people who we can hire to do the dirty work, God save them from becoming what they see every day. But I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone who has a problem with british english inflection, terms, or vocabulary, you Really Have To Pay Attention if you want to be up to the measure of the screenwriter's craft. A subtle script, clever, challenging. Very european, not for the average movie goer, and certainly not for children, who would come out of it going, "hunh?". Unfortunately, like a lot of the adults around us, who couldn't follow it either.
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Kid, 11 years old
March 12, 2012
AGE
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
This was a stunning movie. There were some very gory parts, but they were infrequent. There were about 3 sex scenes, and an implied affair. Strong language was used infrequently. Most of the characters drank and smoked regularly. Overall this was a mature movie, but it was brilliant.
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AGE
Creaky but very well-made spy thriller has graphic violence and sex
Thomas Alfredson's adaptation of the 1974 spy novel is extraordinarily well-made movie, but it lacks both the intricate mechanics and the skills to pull of the story overall, and for that, the film fails on several levels. but, this film is a glorious failure, because there is much greatness to be salvaged here: There is not a single bad performance in the whole entire movie. Not one. None. But, with the finest of the cast being Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom hardy, mark Strong, john Hurt and Toby Jones. But, the performance that I just can't praise in this film enough is the one by Gary Oldman, who really should have won the Academy Award for Best Actor earlier this year, but, alas, Jean Dujardin won for him performance in the Artist, which, in it's own right, is also a very good movie. So, Gary Oldman stars as George Smiley, a veteran spy in the British bureau of espionage, and he is not your typical movie spy. And, by that, I mean that he is by no means, a James Bond. For one, he is old, but moreover, he is a gentle, intelligent and very quiet individual who is portrayed to absolute perfection by Gary Oldman, and that he captured the character in the novel just right. Besides acting, though, another great thing about the film is the look it all. The movie looks great. Considering that the movie is supposed to be set in the early 1970', the art direction and cinematography work in this film are at a level of high class. It really does look like you are stepping back into time, with all of the buildings, cars and outfits intact. But, considering that this film is Rated R, there is definitely a few things that parents should know before they allow there children to watch it: There is infrequent but shockingly graphic and disturbing violence, including several shots of a two dead, mutilated corpses; one with a repeatedly slashed throat, and the other pretty much lying dead in a bathtub flooded with blood and intestines. Also, there are several shootings, as well, with lot's of blood being visible during most times. Also, there is brief but very strong sexual content, with one scene being filmed from far away, but with the woman's bare back and buttocks and the mans bare chest, genitals and legs being fully visible. Also, there is infrequent but strong profanity present, with a couple uses each of sh-t, f-ck, pr-ck, bloody, h-ll, d-mn, g-dd-mn and more. So, despite the films slow pace and creaky narrative, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a spy thriller that does the classic novel a decent enough tribute, and for that, it is certainly worth a watch.
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| Studio: | Focus Features |
| Director: | Tomas Alfredson |
| Cast: | Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Run time: | 127 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 9, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | March 20, 2012 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violence, some sexuality/nudity and language |
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